The Williams is undriveable for Robert Kubica

Seven years, that is the time that separates Robert Kubica’s last two official F1 appearances. The previous one dates back to the evening of the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix when the Pole was considered one of the most promising talents of his generation, destined for Ferrari.

But then, a terrible accident during a rally abruptly ended it, and the driver had to endure a long recovery period, with rehabilitation at stake. However, this Friday morning, Robert Kubica has become an official F1 driver again by participating in the first free practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix.

However, the native of Krakow didn’t feel many emotions for this return to the track because he has already had several test sessions since last year: « I had fewer emotions, which is a good thing. It means it becomes more natural even though I’ve been away from this sport for so long. » However, while he was naturally happy about this new step, he didn’t take much pleasure due to the difficult conditions on the track: « It’s hard to say it was enjoyable because the balance of our car was very bad. It was very difficult to drive, so hard to savor. »

This shows the structural problems affecting the FW41, which is far from the expected level of competitiveness. Given the conditions, its only satisfaction was almost just staying on the track, without ending up in the gravel trap, despite a small scare. « It is a bit strange to say that I am happy with a 19th place, but I am satisfied with my session, the way I managed difficult conditions and a difficult balance. » He is best placed to know that miracles happen very rarely and that it will take a long time to solve the problems of his car. Currently, the team is focusing primarily on the balance of the car to help the drivers simply stay on track, rather than aiming for performance: « For now, we don’t know what will happen in the car and we are reacting to what happens. It’s difficult. »

On the other hand, he takes little satisfaction in having outpaced his teammate Lance Stroll by more than 1.3 seconds: “No, not at all. Simply because I know my worth.” The message could not be clearer to the team, which heavily relies on the funds provided by Lawrence Stroll, the young driver’s father.

He believes that if he is missing one thing at the moment, it is the ability to drive more regularly since automatisms can only return by stringing together laps. He will therefore not be disappointed with his very busy Wednesday schedule, where he will participate in private testing. His dream of returning to the grid on Sunday afternoon is still very much alive because everything can happen very quickly in F1. After this week, his next milestone is to take part in the Friday morning session in Austria.

From our special correspondent in Barcelona.