Kubica: "If Hamilton stayed at McLaren, we'd be talking about someone else now"

Robert Kubica made his comeback in Formula 1 last year after almost ten years of absence. This way he was able to directly compare different generations of F1 drivers. How do youngsters like Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc relate to a champion like Lewis Hamilton, for example.

Now that his career as an active Formula 1 driver seems to be at an end (Kubica is still a test driver and reserve driver at Alfa Romeo), he looks back on last season for Corriere della Sera and the fastest drivers with whom he then shared the asphalt. Lewis Hamilton is one of the few drivers who was there before his rally accident.

"Of course, if he had stayed with Mclaren we wouldn't be talking about him in these terms today. We would be talking about another champion. The car has an enormous weight in the fate of the driver", yet according to him Hamilton has also evolved as a driver. He has learned to opt for second place every now and then in order to secure the championship.

Someone he thinks is ready for that, too, is Max Verstappen. "I think Max is very intelligent, ready to win the world title, he's just a little impetuous and enthusiastic. It remains to be seen how he will behave in the battle for a title, but I would immediately bet my money on Verstappen as world champion".

Then he'll have to take on Charles Leclerc. Kubica was not at all surprised that the Monegask caused problems at Ferrari. Leclerc could have won his second race already and people who didn't see that coming have no idea about it, according to Kubica.