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Kubica wasn't forced out of Williams: It was my decision

Kubica wasn't forced out of Williams: "It was my decision"

19-09-2019 15:10
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Nicolás Quarles van Ufford

After the announcement of his departure from Williams at the end of the 2019 season, Robert Kubica has insisted that the decision was purely his and not influenced by any external factors, as Nicholas Latifi looks the favourite to fill the Polish veteran's seat for 2020.

Despite scoring Williams' only point so far this season when finishing tenth in Germany, Kubica's Formula 1 comeback hasn't gone as well as he'd hoped. The Grand Prix winner has been out-qualified by rookie teammate George Russell every single outing so far this season, with the delta between the two sometimes exceeding a full second.

The fact Kubica was able to make a comeback at all after his horrifying rally crash in 2011 is a miracle in itself with the permanent damage that was dealt to his right arm, but the season has not been the fairytale story he'd have hoped for.

However, when asked if his sponsors or Williams were the reason for his departure, Kubica insisted that this wasn't the case.

“It was my decision," he answered when asked if his backers PKN Orlen had a say in his decision.

“Of course I know there are some consequences which then Orlen follows my decision, but this is a completely different topic. It has been only purely my decision."

So, what lies ahead now for Kubica? Will he go back to being a reserve driver, or will he leave F1 altogether? We'll let the man himself explain.

“Regarding a simulator role, I don’t want to go too much into the details but as I said I will evaluate different opportunities.

“I will be very surprised if I will be doing only simulator and will be very surprised if I am not racing next year.

“I always said that I took a lot energy, a lot of time for me to recover and come back to the sport and join back in F1, but I would like to stay.”

With most seats already being locked down for 2020, a reserve role seems the most likely option for Kubica if he would be to remain in F1.