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On Friday, The Drive delved into Robert Kubica’s possible future at Williams, as well as the important news that 2016 champ Nico Rosberg had joined on with Kubica’s managerial team. (As for why that’s important, Anthony Rowland sums it up better than anyone can.) Beyond that, it seems things are developing rapidly for Kubica, as signs point to him being Williams’ first choice for the position of number-one driver.
However, it must be reiterated that how Felipe Massa will spend his 2018 is not yet known; he has interest in remaining in Formula 1, but he also has Formula E aspirations. According to an Auto Motor und Sport report, Williams’s decision regarding Massa has been delayed until October—which coincidentally matches the window described by Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Kubica’s manager, as the time when Kubica’s future in Formula 1 will be determined, according to an interview with Eleven Sports.
Lance Stroll’s father has expressed a desire to keep Massa on board at Williams for 2018, either as a mentor or an easier opponent for his son. Furthermore, Kubica has already spent a day in Williams’s simulator, according to AMuS, which puts him ahead of every one of his potential competitors, which include Jolyon Palmer and Marcus Ericsson—arguably two of the weakest drivers on the grid.
That’s not all that’s going well for Kubica, either. According to Twitter, a report by Canal+ claims he will be part of a private Williams test, the likes of which Stroll has been engaging in to help himself get up to speed.
The possib;e test at Interlagos, likely prior to November’s Brazilian Grand Prix, may be when Williams makes up its mind over who to choose for 2018: Massa, or Kubica? We reckon that the fact that Kubica is even being compared to Massa means his chances are good…and that we’ll be trading one of Formula 1’s tragic heroes for another during this year’s Silly Season.
