Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso have hailed the news Robert Kubica will return to Formula 1 at Williams in 2019.
Officially confirmed on Thursday in Abu Dhabi, it marks a remarkable comeback for the Pole, whose career appeared to be over following his rally crash in early 2011 which left him with a partially amputated right arm.
Always considered one of the best of his generation before his accident, the five-time F1 champion re-emphasised his great respect for Kubica.
“I think it’s great for Robert. I raced him from karting so I’ve known him for long, long time and he was always one of most talented drivers I raced against,” he said.
“He’s had a really difficult time over the last years and it’s great to see he’s got the opportunity.
“I hope he works hard on his strength and getting his mind back into gear it’s exciting for the sport to see him back in action.”
Hamilton also welcomes back the 34-year-old for a slightly more cheeky reason.
“Is Robert older than me?” he quipped. “Perfect! So I’m happy he’s coming back because Fernando’s leaving and I was going to be second oldest, but now I’m third oldest again.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am about that.”
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As for Alonso, he has previously stated his belief that Kubica was the best driver coming through at the same time as Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.
The Spaniard even hand-picked Robert to replace him at Renault in 2010 and looking ahead to next year, he has just one hope.
“He’s one of the great talents that this sport has and it’s great to see him come back to race,” he stated.
“It remains to be seen what will be the performance of the car and his performance, I only saw a couple of tests but if he’s at 100 per cent he will be amazing to watch so I’m happy for him.”
