Kubica "Ready" for Williams Drive Should Stroll Join Force India

[Paul Jeffrey]

Fan favourite Robert Kubica confirms he feels "ready" to step into the Williams seat should Lance Stoll move to the new Racing Point Force India team mid-season.

With the Formula One team formally known as Sahara Force India no more, the British squad having be rescued by a last minute bid from Lawrence Stroll, Canadian financier André Desmarais, Silas Chou, John Idol, Michael de Picciotto, John McCaw Jr and Jonathan Dudman, now resurfacing at Spa under the new entity of Racing Point Force India, rumours continue to circulate the Grand Prix paddock that current Williams driver Lance Stroll could find himself in a seat at the Silverstone based team before the end of the current season.

With Stroll having made no secret of his disappointment at the current form of Williams in Formula One this year, it is firmly believed that strings could well be pulled at the squad to see Lance parachuted into the outfit before the season is out, potentially opening up a berth at Williams for the remainder of 2018.

With Williams benefitting from the services of Robert Kubica holding the role of reserve driver, many suspect the Polish former Grand Prix winner would be the obvious choice as stand-in should Stroll depart, something the 33-year-old believes he is capable and ready to undertake should the situation present itself:

"Sometimes you have to be in the right place in the right moment with a bit of luck and have people who are believing in you," Kubica said.​

"I feel ready because otherwise I would not sign a contract with Williams for this year, so it's on my desk that, 'You have to keep being ready and in case something happens, you have to step up'.​

"Of course, it is not easy when you have to drive against the top drivers in the middle of the season.

"Although I have some opportunities to drive the car, you still lack experience, but you have to do it.

"I also think when Williams approached me for this role, they also have no doubts that I can do it. But what's happening currently and a lot of speculation is not affecting myself.

"I'm doing my job and then what the future will bring, we will see."
​

Kubica is ideally placed to take any opportunities at Williams this season, however it remains to be seen if the Pole is a genuine contender for a full drive with the outfit in 2019, or if Williams would favour a driver with a more substantial funding package behind him following the potential loss of Stroll's investment and that of the outgoing Martin sponsorship set to end at the conclusion of the current season.

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Would you like to see Kubica in a Williams this year or next? Can the Polish driver deliver at the same level as before he left Grand Prix racing? Let us know in the comments section below!​

 

[formidable]

The best decission os: OCO in FI, KUB on WIL, and Stroll, out

 

[RobJLee]

As someone who grew up watching Mansell in a Williams I've always been a bit of a Williams fan. Their performance these past 20 odd years leaves a lot to be desired, especially in recent years, and they need to do something to reverse their down turn.

Robert Kubica joining them cannot be a bad thing.

 

[gamer19]

And we're ready for you Robert !

The best decission os: OCO in FI, KUB on WIL, and Stroll, out

Stroll out. Now, when his dad bought one entire team.
Omg, you killing me mate...

 

[DaVeX↯]

Wasn't Ocon on Mercedes pay book?

 

[Ole Marius Myrvold]

Wasn't Ocon on Mercedes pay book?

He is, however - from what I have read, Kubica's contract states that if any of the original race drivers cannot race, he is the sole driver Williams can put in as replacement.

Seen talk about Vandoorne being out from Singapore, and McL loaning Ocon out 2018 though.

 

[NDG]

I guess all that's left worth watching this season are as always Merc VS Ferrari. Everybody else seems to be moving around and are just riding the season out. Kubica thinks he is ready, but so much has changed since he left. He is basically starting from zero now, at age 33.

 

[Meff28s]

With Stroll joining Force India (wasn't it supposed to become Force One ?), Williams is now in a serious ****.. they NEED money.. And the best driver to give them new sponsors and stuff seems to be Pérez IMO.
It should be FI : Stroll - Ocon and WIL : Pérez - SirotkinORKubica

 

[Terry Rock]

With all the young talent waiting in the wing, it is high time for at least two additional teams in Formula One.
I too, would love to see Robert back in an active race seat.
I'd hate to see Ocon or Vandoorne out though.
It's simply too early for either man...Ocon, because he shows so much promise...and Vandoorne, because he has not yet had a car capable of showing his ability.
Some may say Alonso did good thing with that 'dog' of a car, while Stoffel struggled badly.
You also have to remember that Alonso started as one of those guys in a test role, capable of 'man-handling' a 'dog' through development...think Minardi.
Stoffel never had that experience, so he's learning with a damn awful car.
I think those early test and development roles were responsible for the driver Fernando became.

 

[Constantin Grimminger]

Easy to claim that now, but I've said already a few years back that F1 needs more teams. And not under the BS circumstances the FIA has set up back in 2009/10.

 

[DaVeX↯]

With Stroll joining Force India (wasn't it supposed to become Force One ?)

Hope they will change their name so next time Stroll will fly out due a bad turn or accident I can say "Dad I saw the Air Force One!"

 

[Durge Driven]

Easy to claim that now, but I've said already a few years back that F1 needs more teams. And not under the BS circumstances the FIA has set up back in 2009/10.

Lets face it if every driver had a Mercedes or a McLaren do you or I have a clue who would really be the greatest driver ?
We wouldn't and never will the way it is

 

[Koen Verlinde]

Well something must be said about motivation that you want to drive when you're willing to put yourself in a Williams this year.

 

[apex11]

Well something must be said about motivation that you want to drive when you're willing to put yourself in a Williams this year.

Well Stroll snr has spent / invested MILLIONS in putting his son in a Williams...... and now he has spent MILLIONS putting his son into a force india.......

What will happen is force india will Stroll snr on board will be made into a Merc B team, hopefully by the time this happens the regs have changed and the Merc is no longer the best car on the grid.

I firmly believe that Stroll could be getting top 5 finishes in the current Merc of Lewis's, but the last few seasons when it was Lewis v's Nico and no one else, if Stroll had been in Lewis's Merc he could of been a WDC .......
All of that though says more about F1 than any talent of Stroll though....

Stroll would be faster in the Merc than Lewis if Lewis was in a McLaren. That is the bottom line of F1, so Lances Dad knows this and will spend anything to force his kid into a good car, he knows he can buy success because you learn early on in karting that you can buy success....
It is why the teams that spend the most invariably are the best.......

 

[Terry Rock]

While Robert has been out of the car for quite a few years and won't threaten any of the top teams with Williams in their current state, he has more than enough ability to move them forward. from where they currently stand.
Maybe at the start there was some question about the mobility of his arm but we can put those to bed, given the full simulation he's done on track.
This should be a 'no-brainer' for Williams.
As a team they may have to go out and 'pound' the pavement looking for a major sponsor to support what he cannot provide money-wise.
At this point if they want to continue in F1, they need a good driver capable of scoring Championship points and thereby bringing in money, more than a mediocre driver with a big purse.

 

[apex11]

The Williams is what 19th and 18th at Spa in qualy?
Best Kubica could do if it was indeed the Kubica of old (so doubtful) is maybe drag the current Williams into 16th -15th at a push....
So don't ever expect that he could be knocking on top 10 let alone top 5 'just because' he was a good driver.
A great driver can not make a crap car good.
All they can do is get it in a slightly less crap position.... see Alonso v's Vandoorne...

 

[Terry Rock]

@apex11...."Up the grid is up the grid".
The opportunity exist for points, should a few faster cars 'tangle' and take themselves out...even if he got to 15 or 16th.
At 18th or 19th, nothing is happening for them.
A whole lot more players would have to take each other out for it to even become a factor.

 

[aka2k]

I miss the BMW Williams days. Actually, what I truly miss are the Williams-Renault days. What a time that was.

 

[andre viana]

alonso out......spanish cry baby

 

[killz0o0ne]

I really hope we can see Robert racing as quickly as possible. It's hell of a progress from being almost dead to coming back to the F1 seat