Robert Kubica proved once again that he is more than just a pay driver: he completed 22 laps for Alfa Romeo in the first free practice session in Abu Dhabi, and at the end of the session he finished 14th out of 20 participants. He was 1.431s off Lewis Hamilton’s fastest time, and 0.409s behind team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
It was possibly his last appearance in a Formula 1 cockpit. “I’ve always been realistic,” he says. “I have to be honest with myself: At 38, it wouldn’t be a surprise not to be able to find a cockpit.”
With that, Kubica emphasizes, he has made his peace. Should it no longer work out with a contract as a third driver, the world would not end for him.
That now depends on two factors. First, whether his sponsor Orlen, a Polish oil company, would like to continue to be involved in Formula 1: “You have to decide what you want. I’m not responsible for the budget.”
Secondly, if Orlen wants to continue, whether a team can be found. That could be Alfa Romeo, “or another team. Then we have to see if there is a place for me and if I can get involved where, because one thing is clear: I don’t want to be here if I can’t help. “
“I’m a free agent now,” says Kubica. “Now I’m going on vacation. But my story proves that you should never say never.”
It is also clear that if he should dock somewhere as a third driver, then only on the premise that he can also test and train there. Because “the only reason I’m still here is that sometimes I have the chance to drive in the car. The day I can’t do it anymore, it will be the end.”
According to the Formula 1 database, Kubica has contested 99 Grands Prix in his career, the last of which was in Monza 2021, when he was allowed to step in at Alfa Romeo for the regular driver Kimi Raikkonen, who was suffering from the corona virus at the time. He finished the race in 14th place.
In the 99 Grands Prix, Kubica was on the podium twelve times, including one as a winner (Montreal 2008 in a Sauber-BMW).