Robert Kubica, Poland's first and only F1 driver, rose to the top of the ranks in Formula One by 2010 with astounding race performance on par with Alonso, Hamilton, and Vettel. His historic race victory with Sauber and consistent results landed him with a Renault factory drive in 2010- only to be taken out of the picture with a freak Rally accident during 2011 testing which almost cost him his life. Kubica's extensive hand injures led to mobility issues for driving, particularly in the confined spaces of an F1 car, so he set to task of rehabilitation for the long-term. F1 moved on without him, and he was lost to the history books. Such is life.
Fast forward to 2017, and almost out of nowhere a test with Renault after the Hungarian GP was set. Renault stated that they "promised" Kubica a test once he was able, and the rumor mill that is the F1 paddock got fired up. His pace during the test was very competitive in the short runs, with his consistency falling off in longer lap runs-primarily down to the lack of physical conditioning needed to sustain pace. But, he completed an admirable performance from which he could build on for a chance at 2018 race seat.
With the 2017 "silly season" in full swing for open seats next year, what options does Robert have? Well, his first option, Renault, managed to secure the quick Carlos Sainz along side Nico Hulkenberg by way of the Toro Rosso/Honda deal, so he got released from his contract to explore other options. However in 2018 Formula One there looks to be but one option, Williams F1. In a way, Kubica is fighting an uphill battle at Williams. Felipe Massa, Paul Di Resta, Marcus Ericsson, and Jolyon Palmer, are all in contention for one open seat. Nonetheless, Williams wants to access his abilities and limitiations after his injuries to see if a shot is possible. To make matters worse, Robert was scheduled to run a 2014 Williams FW36 but Lance Stroll and his father vetoed that so Lance could use the car instead in between the 2017 races. However, next week Kubica is scheduled to run in the Williams simulator.
So, I would say that he has about a 25% chance of securing a 2018 drive with his only real option, Williams F1. His testing performance will tell a lot, but hey if nothing else. I'm sure an IndyCar team can find a spot for him. He would totally be at the sharp end of the grid in no time, in my opinion.
What do think his 2018 chances are?
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