Robert Kubica insists he has no regrets over his decision to return to Formula 1 with Williams despite only racing for one season.
The Pole’s comeback eight years after his near-fatal rally crash in 2011 was highly anticipated but soon the buzz would go quiet as he and the British team struggled at the back of the grid.
A point in Germany would be the highlight but to make it worse, Kubica largely spent this year in the shadow of teammate George Russell, even leading to claims of Williams favouring the Briton.
But though the disappointment, the 35-year-old maintains the return was worth it.
“I do not regret it. I spent last year with the team and I knew it would be not easy,” Kubica said via FormulaRapida. “Of course, we did face some more issues than last year, especially in the beginning of the year which was very unfortunate.
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“I think we kept paying a bill for a very long [time], longer than people think, but my goal when I stopped rallying was to come back to the highest motorsport category on track, which I would be able to race.
“From a human point of view, this has been a great achievement. As a race driver, the season has been very tough.
“But the decision was made by passion, by trying to achieve a goal and the mission I had. The outcome is not what everyone was hoping, but that’s life, that’s motorsport, that’s F1.”
Kubica also took a brief moment to reflect on that period eight years ago when his life changed after suffering severe arm injuries.
“There were a few nights where I cried,” he admitted. “20 years of passion and work changed in one second.
“I had to mentally, as well as physically, rehabilitate myself. The turning point was when I did not think about how to do something, but I was glad that I could do it at all.”
While his time in F1 as a racer is likely over, Kubica is still considered a valuable asset to any team in a development role given his years of experience.
Previously, Robert has been linked with moves to Haas and Racing Point in such a position for 2020, but now RaceFans reports Alfa Romeo is now close to securing a deal.
If true, it would mark a return to the outfit which Kubica made his name when it was BMW in the late 2000s, notably scoring his only F1 victory in Canada in 2008.
This is in addition to a likely race seat with BMW in DTM next year following a test with the German brand earlier this month.