Robert Kubica has reveled that he believes that there is an “80 or 90%” chance that he could return to Formula 1 following his recent outings for Renault in a private test and at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Robert Kubica has an “80 or 90%” chance of returning to Formula 1
Kubica last drove in Formula 1 in 2010 and was scheduled to compete in the 2011 Season for Lotus-Renault, however, a rally accident in Italy prevented this and since then, a return to the pinnacle of motorsport has been unlikely due to the severe injuries that he picked up on his right hand and arm in the accident which has left him with limited movement.
In June, Kubica got back behind the wheel of an F1 car for the first time since 2011 where he drove a Renault-branded Lotus E20 in Valencia, completing an impressive 115 laps.
“If you asked me how much I was realistically thinking that coming back to F1 was possible [before the test], I would have put myself up to 10% or maximum 20% chance,” said the Polish driver when talking to Auto Express at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. “Because the clock is running – not just the classification, but also [I am] getting older. F1 is going so fast that some people forget – not everyone, but some. Because I’m very realistic, and I’m keeping my feet on the ground, I’d put it at 80 or 90% [now].”
Since his accident, Kubica has driven a number of different cars, driving Ford Fiestas and Citroen DS3s in the World Rally Championship, a GP3 car in a private test, a Formula E car, and an LMP1 car in a test with ByKolles at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Having been out of Formula 1 for six years, Kubica said: “You build up your own question marks, based on how you know yourself and your body, and then if you’d asked me about them after even the first run at Valencia, they were gone, gone, gone, gone. Then it becomes much easier than I thought. This gives you good confidence and puts you in a completely different level – of trying to have a better feeling in the car and better performance. Once my comfort, or let’s say limitation things, were gone in three laps, I could concentrate on trying to get back to the proper rhythm. I’m surprised how it felt; it felt for me like I hadn’t driven for one month, not six years.”
Robert Kubica is one of the many drivers linked to a seat at Renault in 2018 to partner Nico Hulkenberg due to Jolyon Palmer’s underwhelming and unimpressive start to the 2017 Season. Other drivers include McLaren’s Fernando Alonso, Renault reserve driver Sergey Sirotkin, and Formula 2 driver Oliver Rowland.
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