Former Formula 1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone has claimed Williams should offer Robert Kubica the chance at a much-anticipated return in 2018, believing the Pole could offer a lot to the midfield team.
Earlier this week, the former Grand Prix winner completed what was dubbed a “successful” test in the 2014 car at Silverstone in what was an evaluation of Kubica’s abilities both in terms of performance and physically due to the limitations he still has in his right arm.
His link with the Grove-based team comes after earlier runs with Renault in the summer, before the French manufacturer opted to make a deal for Carlos Sainz next season rather than take a risk.
Nevertheless, Ecclestone, who now holds the position of Chairman Emeritus, believes the man many thought of as a future champion a decade ago still has the talent.
“I think he can come back even stronger than before,” the Briton told Motorsport.com. “Mentally, I think probably he will be more aggressive: so I can only see good, good things for him.”
Currently, Kubica is one of three men being considered to partner Lance Stroll next season, with current driver Felipe Massa wanting to stay on for one more year and reserve driver Paul di Resta earning a chance after an impressive stand-in for the Brazilian in Hungary.
The decision also comes as Williams looks to re-invigorate themselves after a year that has seen them fall further behind Force India and come under threat from the likes of Renault and McLaren.
Technical director Paddy Lowe is working on starting that turnaround next year with Ecclestone also seeing a key place for Kubica in the effort.
“If I were Williams, I would definitely try to persuade him to join. Maybe they are going to lose Massa at the end of the year, I should think he has probably had enough, and if Robert is on board then he might wake up a lot of people there,” he commented.
“The team hasn’t been performing as well as it should have done, and whether it is because of drivers or the team in general, I don’t know. Nobody knows. So it would be nice to get a guy who should be quick in the car to find out.”
