Kubica to test F1 car

[girry]

I'll be honest I expected it would be Charles Pic.

But I'm content with this alternative as well

[tommykl]

Even though Renault, Kubica and the motorsport media are slowly beginning to hype this up, I refuse to believe it will actually happen. Because if I do start to believe it, then it won't ever come to fruition.

Therefore, my prediction is that Robert will get closer and closer to Renault. He'll do one more test. Then another. Then another. Impressive lap times will get leaked to the press. The Renault PR machine will wax lyrical about the Pole's consistency and general pace. Robert himself will claim he is confident in his abilities. After a month or two, Renault will announce that Robert will get a drive in Friday practice. Maybe even two or three of the wretched things. He'll do very well in these outings.

In the meantime, Jolyon Palmer's confidence will disintegrate. He will continue to fare horrendously against Hülkenberg, making more and more mistakes as his position within the team comes under pressure. Renault will exacerbate this, constantly expressing their disappointment and telling him to up his game. He will get benched on the Fridays to make room for the increasingly-hyped Kubica.

The season will come to an end. Hülkenberg will score somewhere in the realms of 45 points, while Palmer will score fewer than 5, possibly even a big fat duck egg. Rumours will fly around the paddock. Uncertainty and doubt will remain above the Englishman's head throughout October, November and December. Kubica, by now, has become an established paddock figure once again.

In early January, Renault will call a "surprise press conference honhonhonhon". Hülkenberg will be present as lead driver. Cyril Abiteboul will be there too, of course, as will Bob Bell, Nick Chester and Rémy Taffin. Abiteboul will do the bulk of the talking, with the technical trio explaining how the R.S.18 will be "revolutionary". Nico will talk about his hopes and praise the car's development. Cyril will then bring the big guns to the stage: Jérôme Stoll and even the big man himself, Carlos Ghosn. Sergei Sirotkin will be announced as reserve driver and take to the stage as well.

Finally, as the clock strikes x o'clock, the lights will die down. The smoke machines will begin to do their magic. An elaborate light show will dazzle the crowd of the finest motorsport journalists who could be arsed to make their way to rural Oxfordshire on a cold Tuesday morning. The spotlights will focus into a Renault logo-shaped rhombus around a slowly opening door. The Mazurek Dabrowskiego will begin to play. The cameras will start to flash as a back-lit silhouette steps forward out of the shadows.

Finally, in his Frenchiest of accents, Abiteboul will loudly proclaim:

Ow-er second driver for ze 2018 sizzen is...

...the silhouette steps into the light, becoming a recognisable human being and ultimately revealing...

NICHOLAS LATIFI!

Loud dance music plays, Latifi joins Abiteboul, Hülkenberg, Bell, Chester, Taffin, Stoll and Ghosn at the nicely- laid-out PR desk. He answers all the press questions. Two days later, the racing world has forgotten about the Robert Kubica hype. "This was always going to happen", they all say.

"This was always going to happen..."

I'll be honest I expected it would be Charles Pic.

But I'm content with this alternative as well

I must say, I didn't expect this post to turn out the way it did when I started to write it.

I have no regrets.

[Enforcer]

Oh look:

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-r ... er-918842/

Now of course, unless they suddenly put Kubica into every Friday session from now until they feel they can sack Palmer, Sirotkin would presumably replace him rather than Kubica. But how about a curveball: Sebastien Buemi? Has won all around him since leaving F1.

I do feel a bit sorry for Jolyon. He's not Sterling Moss, but he's far from the worst driver to sit in an F1 car.

Also, do FIA Super Licences ever expire? I know they didn't for a good long time, but I'm not sure if they changed that when changing the qualification system for it. Cos if they do expire, Kubica doesn't actually have one anymore, does he?

[Bobby Doorknobs]

Also, do FIA Super Licences ever expire? I know they didn't for a good long time, but I'm not sure if they changed that when changing the qualification system for it. Cos if they do expire, Kubica doesn't actually have one anymore, does he?

I'm pretty sure it's only effective for one year. It's got to be less than three, anyway; any driver that's been out of F1 that long has to either have the required 40 points or to have done 300 km of running in a current F1 car.

[dr-baker]

Is it electric?

*TRIGGERED!*

Think that might have been his granddaughter...

[dinizintheoven]

I got half the word right. Give me some credit for remembering something from 30-something years ago!

[Wallio]

I do feel a bit sorry for Jolyon. He's not Sterling Moss, but he's far from the worst driver to sit in an F1 car.

No, but he IS the worst driver currently on the grid. And he's in his second year. If he was a Red Bull young driver, he'd be long gone.

[Nessafox]

I do feel a bit sorry for Jolyon. He's not Sterling Moss, but he's far from the worst driver to sit in an F1 car.

No, but he IS the worst driver currently on the grid. And he's in his second year. If he was a Red Bull young driver, he'd be long gone.

I don't think Ericsson is better qua pure talent, but he's more reliable.

[Aislabie]

A half-hour well spent.

[Enforcer]

The hype train is making its second stop:

http://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/40492882

[Londoner]

[Bobby Doorknobs]

So that's what it was for...

[CoopsII]

I'm beginning to think Kubica 2018 could be a thing. I mean, if it's not a race drive would Kubica even be interested in some kind of testing role? Kind of like a De La Rosa, Wurz or Fisichella i.e ageing driver being pumped for development info to help the younger chargers?

[WeirdKerr]

Yay!!!!!

[Waris]

YEEEEESSSSSSS THEY'RE DOING IT

My mood has been great since this news broke

Now let's see how he actually does! It will probably take him some time to acclimatize to the 2017 car, but somehow I hope he will do very well.

[Rob Dylan]

Simply the amount of hype and public support behind him means that it wouldn't be money wasted betting on Kubica in a race seat somewhere next year. So many people want it that, providing he's not absolutely terrible, he'll be in a team in some capacity by 2018.

[Dj_bereta]

I read in a Brazilian website Renault is considering Kubica the "plan A" for the next year. His performance in the testing sessions in this year is going to be the key part for the team choosing him or changing to plan B.

[watka]

I will be following his testing post-Hungarian GP very keenly. I can't believe that after so long out and with such a serious injury that he's got anywhere near this close to getting back into F1. For him to then put in a competitive showing would be beyond my comprehension. It would be one of the greatest comeback stories in the sport, I already have so much respect for him.

[AdrianBelmonte_]

4TH FASTEST AND 140+ LAPS DONE!!!!!!1

#NotSorryForTheOverexcitement

[WeirdKerr]

apparently the garage got a bit excited too as hulkenberg's sign came down as he was leaving the garage.....

[AdrianBelmonte_]

apparently the garage got a bit excited too as hulkenberg's sign came down as he was leaving the garage.....

Imagine the scenes if it was Jolyon's sign instead

[Paul Hayes]

Nice Andrew Benson piece on Kubica today on the BBC - although I was a bit surprised to see Benson speculate that Renault could even put him in the car in Spa. Surely not...?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/40780771

[Nessafox]

Nice Andrew Benson piece on Kubica today on the BBC - although I was a bit surprised to see Benson speculate that Renault could even put him in the car in Spa. Surely not...?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/40780771

Hm, well why not test him out in a few races? If it doesnt work, they can still prepare a different driver for next year. Palmer's not the future anyway.

[Peteroli34]

Im go out on a limb and say that while we might see Kubica testing Formula One cars maybe even an FP1 practice of 2 we wont see him race in F1 again.

[CoopsII]

Im go out on a limb and say that while we might see Kubica testing Formula One cars maybe even an FP1 practice of 2 we wont see him race in F1 again.

I'm all over the place on this one. Obviously, I want the Comeback-Kid story, not least because Kubica was a great driver from practically a different era, and I agree that starting him at Spa would be awesome but I have to wonder if some of this is to do with a struggling team desperate for some positive headlines? I know it could be argued that Renault wouldn't invest the time and dollars just for some decent promotion but that is what they're in F1 for, when you boil it down.

[RonDenisDeletraz]

Kubica racing in F1 this season, not gonna happen. Yeah I would love to see it too, but lets be realistic here. Hopefully he can get the seat for next year, seems like the best case scenario at the moment.

[Enforcer]

Well, with the door now closed at Renault, Williams are looking to give him a shot:

http://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/41483083

[Rob Dylan]

Whether it's di Resta or Kubica, I just think it's cool that either one of them is making a comeback at all, especially seeing as it's difficult enough for seats to become available for incoming drivers from junior formulae.

[IceG]

Well they both have the great advantage of being over 25!

I can't help but feel that Massa is past it; both Kubica and di Resta are still hungry. Selecting Kubica would allow them to revert to di Resta if it turned out he could not handle the physical requirements of a full F1 race. Since neither of them, nor Williams, are going to win a WC next season it could be the way to go.

Personally I hope Kubica gets it because he speaks far better English than di Resta.