Poll: who should drive for Williams - You do not have permission to vote in this poll.
Kvyat
11.11%
1
11.11%
Di Resta
44.44%
4
44.44%
Kubica
44.44%
4
44.44%
* You voted for this item. Show Results


6 reasons why Williams should sign Kubica
#11

Ahh, that was the insurance thing then, I kept seeing, I'd have preferred him at my beloved, Enstone, but happy with Sainz and the Hulk, have you put your tuppence in on - "favourite races ever" by Forza - some great choices, and fun to remember Smile

I still think though that any Jordan win had to have spectacular circumstances Smile

"I Say, I say . . . . The satisfaction you have in a few minutes when you become champion. It's enough to live forever 
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#12

If he can prove his fitness / ability to exit the car, and thus isn’t a danger to himself and others then I see no problem. After the Renault test though they seemed to imply that wasn’t the case, and that was the main reason when I read between the lines for the cooling of their interest in him.

Fast forward to Williams and they’re saying differently. If they and the FIA are OK with it, it’ll be a great story, and I for one would be over the moon to see him again in F1. Especially if he’s still as quick as he was... just hope it’s not nostalgia / rose tinted specs we’re all wearing.

Also why wasn’t Wehrlein an option? Any way, I went for Di Resta, because in their joint test he apparently did more long runs and was consistently quicker than Kubica, to the point that at that time many journalists were saying he was nailed on. Knows the team, and next years car we’ll as their development driver, and has no downsides really.
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#13

(22-11-2017, 08:49 AM)Jody Barton Wrote:  Also why wasn’t Wehrlein an option?

The reason I have seen quoted is that Martini deal required a driver over the age of 25. I'm sure a solution could be found if needed though.

I made a comment on one of the Sky threads that I didn't think he (Wehrlein) had lived up to expectations though, and in backing myself up, I looked at his race results, and although he has out-scored Ericsson, when you look at all the races they have both finished, Ericsson has actually finished ahead of Pascal more times than not.

He showed great promise coming through the ranks, and I know he has a bit of a rough deal at Sauber, but I can't think of any examples where he has really made a mark on a race or lived up to his hype/potential since joining F1.  Sad


Purple Banana (a.k.a John or JB  Smile )
"The flowers of victory belong in many vases." - Michael Schumacher
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#14

The issue with that Purple-banana is that Pascals car this year hasn’t had the upgrades first. He’s still running the original floor, and in Brazil finally got the new side pods Marcus had had for 5 races. He’s not been given equal treatment, and that can’t only have affected his lap times, but also his motivation.

PS. I actually thought his drive in Spain was exceptional this year and some of the passes he was able pull off in that Sauber were brilliant. He skinned Grosjean good and proper, and made a few others look a bit foolish. He also had some great qualifying laps at Manor, and indeed Sauber.
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#15

Yeah, that was what I was referring to with my comment about the rough deal he is getting at Sauber.

Still, we're talking about a driver who was hyped up to be a future WDC before he arrived, up against Ericsson, who has only stuck around for so long due to effectively having his main sponsor buy the team.

I dare say a driver of a similar calibre to Hamilton, Vettel, Alonso, Raikonnen etc. would be able to overcome whatever benefits a new floor and sidepods could offer that dog of a car and show Ericsson up - and that just hasn't happened.

I guess we'll never know, but clearly Williams have ruled him out for one reason or another.


Purple Banana (a.k.a John or JB  Smile )
"The flowers of victory belong in many vases." - Michael Schumacher
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#16

Yeah, I get what you are saying, but in the younger Formula, up against the likes of Sainz and Vandorne he stood out. I mean really stood out. His races for Manor deserved way more points finishes too, and his drive in Australia was superb in 2016, a really racing drivers performance. Was my driver of the day that day, because that Manor had no right being in the top 10. I think Mercedes choosing to back Ocon for the Force India drive was a blow (but I think Toto was right), and then this season when Monica left Sauber and he essentially got stuck with the car from winter testing up until Brazil has to have had a demotivational effect. Yet he still out qualifies Marcus, even though he’s had his car ‘loaned’ to Leclerc and Giovinazzi at multiple races this season, and generally does better. There’s also the fact he’s still running the old diffuser and suspension too. Given Ericsson improved his lap times considerably when the new diffuser was fitted in Spa we can say the advantage he has is probably between 3 to 4 tenths, yet in single lap pace that’s just not happening. Yet in race trim, you see the backend of Pascals Sauber sliding around while Marcus’ car seems more planted. How much is driver, and how much is the greater downforce? Who knows, but I think Pascal is better than a number of drivers on the grid.

Well I think this confirms it then:

http://www.williamsf1.com/racing/news/2017abudhabitest

I don’t think Sirontkin is in with a shout, so I think that confirms Williams are close to announcing Kubica as their second driver next season. So we definitely lose Pascal and Kvyat from F1. Shame, but hey, it’s a brutal sport, especially with only 10 teams on the grid.
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#17

(22-11-2017, 08:49 AM)Jody Barton Wrote:  If he can prove his fitness / ability to exit the car, and thus isn’t a danger to himself and others then I see no problem. After the Renault test though they seemed to imply that wasn’t the case, and that was the main reason when I read between the lines for the cooling of their interest in him.

Fast forward to Williams and they’re saying differently. If they and the FIA are OK with it, it’ll be a great story, and I for one would be over the moon to see him again in F1. Especially if he’s still as quick as he was... just hope it’s not nostalgia / rose tinted specs we’re all wearing.

Also why wasn’t Wehrlein an option? Any way, I went for Di Resta, because in their joint test he apparently did more long runs and was consistently quicker than Kubica, to the point that at that time many journalists were saying he was nailed on. Knows the team, and next years car we’ll as their development driver, and has no downsides really.

Ahh my bad, just an oversight on my part there

"I Say, I say . . . . The satisfaction you have in a few minutes when you become champion. It's enough to live forever 
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#18

(22-11-2017, 08:49 AM)Jody Barton Wrote:  If they and the FIA are OK with it, it’ll be a great story, and I for one would be over the moon to see him again in F1. Especially if he’s still as quick as he was... just hope it’s not nostalgia / rose tinted specs we’re all wearing.

Me too, I always liked Kubica, plus his peers really rated him which says a lot. I'm just not convinced someone can come back from such a serious injury and still be at the top of their game. Time will tell.
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#19

Morini... I agree. If the scuttle butt in the paddock is to be believed then Di Resta was quicker over long runs and single laps. No disrespect to Di Resta because he’s actually a very tidy driver, but if Kubica wasn’t up to his speed then... well... why bother? Why not stick with Massa for another year? We’ll get a better idea after this Pirelli tyre test I guess, as it’s in the current car, but I hope Williams aren’t doing it just for PR. It’d be absolutely awful to see Robert back in a car only for him to flop.
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#20

DiResta didn't really get a fair crack I don't think . He showed promise in junior formula and is better than his F1 results attest. Not saying he is amongst the very best, but he was decent and showed Vettel a thing or two. It just goes to show how tough it is to make it in Formula 1. Drivers need to be in the right place at the right time and in the right car.

Kubica was top class, I don't think there's much doubt about that. Is he still at that level though?

When I look fast, I'm not smooth and I am going slowly. And when I look slow, I am smooth and going fast.
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