I mean, one race in to the 2019 Formula 1 season would be a bit premature for Robert Kubica to publicly admit regret on an F1 return he’s waited over eight years for, wouldn’t it?
But on being asked by Autosport three days into his official F1 comeback with Williams F1 (yes, three days) if he has any regrets he said categorically and unsurprisingly ‘no’.
It seems to me like one of those interviews where the headline is written before the interview has even taken place.
Whether or not he gives the same answer when he’s asked the question at the end of the season is yet to be determined.
Kubica has gone on record to say that he needed more time in the car in Barcelona, pre-season to ready himself for the rigours of Grand Prix racing and that because of this, he’s prepared to spend the first few races of the season getting comfortable in the new car, in a new (to him) formula.
“Unfortunately Barcelona didn’t work out at all. So it put me into the difficult position, but somehow I have to go through them here, in Bahrain, and probably for a couple more races.” said Kubica.
“I knew it would be an extremely difficult challenge for me to be back in such a competitive sport and being on the grid, and I knew it might be difficult for Williams.”
“But I didn’t expect to come to Australia so unprepared.”
Hopefully, this will coincide with the time Williams need to remedy the fundamental issue they’ve discovered with their FW42.
If this is the case and come the spring Williams are able to give Kubica a car with which he can compete, then his current 1-year deal may be extended beyond the end of 2019, and a prolonged return to F1 will be considered worthwhile.
However, should Williams fail to come to terms with their current machinery then it’s unlikely Kubica’s backers will see value in fronting the kind of cash Williams require to avail him of another year in their car, and the partnership might well fizzle out, leaving Kubica with yet more unfinished business.
This would leave the Pole either slipping back into retirement or seeking another drive elsewhere, and his chances of that very much depend on how he, himself performs this year against his promising, super-confident and ultra-quick team-mate George Russell.
So after one race there’s still plenty to fight for, and very little for Kubica to regret.
“It might be that at the end of the year I will regret something, but one thing I will not regret is to try.”
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