Robert Kubica has confirmed he will be leaving Williams at the end of this season.
The Pole finally got his chance to return to the Formula 1 grid in 2019, eight years after a rally crash had seemingly left him unable to race in single-seaters again.
However, while he has scored Williams’ only point this season, after being promoted to 10th in Germany, Kubica has been predominantly out-classed by rookie teammate George Russell.
“I always say I took a lot of energy, a lot of time for me to recover, to come back to the sport,” he said revealing the news during Thursday’s press conference in Singapore.
“Since I joined F1, I would like to stay. I said this year it would be a goal to remain in F1, but not for every cost, and I think I have to, first of all, do what will bring me a bit of joy back for racing.
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“Of course this season has been very tough from a performance point of view, but it has [also] been very demanding. Being back in F1 after a long time is not easy, especially when you are in a difficult situation like we are.
“Nevertheless I have to thank the team for the opportunity and will see what the future will bring.”
Expectations are Kubica is to be replaced by Williams reserve driver Nicholas Latifi, who has matched the 35-year-old’s pace during his practice outings this season.
Also, the Canadian will bring the British team much needed financial backing as results revealed last week showed the F1 team made an increase in losses mostly due to a loss of revenue.
Still, there is disappointment that Kubica’s much-anticipated comeback is only set to last one season and Lewis Hamilton paid tribute to a driver many believed would be battling with the Briton and Sebastian Vettel to be the best of their generation.
“We started racing together in karting in 1998 and for me, Robert is one of the most talented drivers that I have competed against,” the Mercedes driver said.
“From the beginning I already saw the talent that he had, I think what’s really remarkable is the strength and the determination he’s shown to get through the incident that he had, not a lot of people could come from those circumstances, make it back into the sport and deliver against others who don’t have the same situation that he’s been in.
“It’s been great to have him back. It’s definitely not the same scenario than when he was with a more competitive team back in the day, but I think he’s done great this year.
“We need the best talent in the sport, and we need them to be as high up as possible creating a part of the show.
“I hope he stays, I don’t know what has given him the reason to make this decision, but I hope there is a position for him next year.”
Kubica has already been linked to a DTM drive with Audi for 2020 and is open to a development driver role within F1.
