KUBICA’S MOUNTAIN CLIMB

ROBERT KUBICA’S FORMULA 1 COMEBACK has been hotly anticipated for years – ever since his appalling rally accident on the eve of the 2011 season, in fact. But it’s fair to say that his long-delayed return to the cockpit this season has not provided the joyous and gilded procession to glory the F1 community desired.

Kubica remains a popular and respected figure at the top of the sport. The 2019 season, though, has been a proverbial uphill struggle as this talented, grand prix-winning driver toils at the tail of the field in a car that stands little chance of troubling the top 10 during its service life. On just one occasion has the unloved Williams FW42 secured a point – in Kubica’s hands – and even that result hinges on a technical exclusion that was subject to an FIA appeal as this issue of F1 Racing rolled off the printing presses.

There’s another elephant in the room: the performance of Kubica’s young team-mate, the Mercedes protégé George Russell, who has consistently shown the elder driver the way this season. The reasons for this remain unclear. Some say the lingering effects of Kubica’s injury – he now drives, by his own admission, 70% left-handed – means he struggles