64 replies to this topic

[Silverstone96]

http://www.autosport...t.php/id/121434

Any thoughts on where this could be?

With the difficulties he still has restricting single seater chances, could he maybe race in WEC? Would imagine this would be less restrictive on him

[ANF]

He talks about doing "doing some different things and maybe the rally as well". Different from rallying or different from racing altogether?

[B Squared]

I wish Indy Car was an option.

[Risil]

Rallycross? WTCC? GT racing?

Edited by Risil, 21 October 2015 - 20:10.

[Silverstone96]

Surely WEC could give him some of the buzz he misses from F1 without the physical issues, no politics too

[thuGG]

There are some rumors about rallycross. He had offers from DTM. Looks like he's not to keen to do WTCC and endurance.

I think he will certainly do some rallies and I hope he somehow manages to do full WRC season.

[Seanspeed]

Such a painful subject for me. I'm glad the guy is doing ok and has a fulfilling career still, but gosh darn, he was an undoubted top talent in F1 that we lost. The entire driver lineup and market right now might look *completely* different if he was still around. He was good enough to make that sort of impact.

[WhiteSGPlayer]

Wherever he can crash without getting hurt, he seems to enjoy doing that

[Myrvold]

Driver Thread?

[thegamer23]

DTM or Formula E maybe

Edited by thegamer23, 22 October 2015 - 07:44.

[Rinehart]

Driver Thread?

FIA aren't the only ones to rubber stamp crap rules...

 

I think it would be cool if Kubica, Zanardi and one other could get together in some sort of para-le-mans type entry at the 24.

 

Would be a fabulous opportunity for a manufacturer to demonstrate what its technologies can do to assist disability, obviously a huge charitable opportunity as well. 

 

Hasn't Kubica said that single seaters are a non option due to a lack of space?

[JRodrigues]

Maybe he's talking about not crashing.

 

 

(and now.. I'm out of here before the bashing starts)

[Imperial]

Hasn't Kubica said that single seaters are a non option due to a lack of space?

I *think* his elbow joint doesn't have full range of motion, so he has to turn his whole arm from the shoulder. That rules him out of single seaters.

If however he can manage rallying, with the speeds and rapid movement required, then I'm sure he'll be quite capable back in circuit racing in a suitable series.

He'd be a good addition to DTM and some of the tracks not too far to travel for the core Polish fanbase.

[RedBaron]

Kubica and Montoya to WEC would be good additions.

[DrProzac]

Surely WEC could give him some of the buzz he misses from F1 without the physical issues, no politics too

I'd love to see him in 24h of Le Mans.

 

Rallycross, DTM, WTCC are probable, I guess. If he sticks to rallying, tahn perhaps ERC or WRC2 (easier to run a private team).

 

 

Such a painful subject for me. I'm glad the guy is doing ok and has a fulfilling career still, but gosh darn, he was an undoubted top talent in F1 that we lost. The entire driver lineup and market right now might look *completely* different if he was still around. He was good enough to make that sort of impact.

Yeah, it's sad when you think about it. He was very close to driving for Ferrari.

 

 

 

Hasn't Kubica said that single seaters are a non option due to a lack of space?

He's been doing some simulator work for Mercedes and he said that he would have no problems driving on some circuits (he'd done bigger distances than race distance), but on some like Monaco it's impossible. This probably rules out IndyCar IIRC they had some street circuits.

Edited by DrProzac, 22 October 2015 - 11:11.

[thuGG]

Some quotes from inteview in Polish (fast translation by me, so sorry for all mistakes):

I just said, there is a strong chance I won't do full season (next year). I preciselly said that I'd be surprised if I do full season next year. There is nothing strange about it. I don't know how many rallies I'll do and how my program will look like. I want to change few things though.
My program will strongly depend on budget. I'm a private driver for small private team and rallying is expensive sport. Everyone, including me, would like to see me fighting at the top, but to do that we need all the tools. OK, I learned a lot last few years and I improved a lot as a driver, but there is need for the whole package.
It's not like I'm blaming the budget and what we have for it. However, it would be easier if this engagement (sponsor?) was bigger. On the other hand, I understood that for a private team it's better to do less rallies, but be better prepared for them, not rushing and chasing time all the time trying to do all the rounds. Better to concentrate on quality than quantity. You can't fight if for example last time you drove on gravel was 3 months ago, and that's the situation now (before Spain). How can you fight with the best in that situation?
I have very good partners. Many people like seeing me in WRC, but they have to thank my sponsors. Without them I wouldn't be here. Without them, in 2013, I wouldn't start my rallying, let's call it career in WRC. The reality is that we compete against factory teams having way smaller potential. That's motorsport. You can come closer, but not enough. And these last steps demand not only bigger budget but also more attention and care about small details and perfection. That's why I'm saying that if I stay in WRC, it's going to be better to do less rallies, but prepare for them properly.
Thanfully rallies are not the only option for next year. We will see...

To me it looks like he will stay as privateer, he will probably drop all overseas rallies in favor to more testing. Maybe he will mix some racing with all this.
Definetly looks like he won't leave rallying.

[DrProzac]

In an interview he just said that "rallying is his hobby, he can do it only from time to time, which doesn't mean he won't try to do it as best he can". I guess we can expect a mix of rallying and something else.

[LuckyStrike1]

Not crashing? 

[Dalin80]

Maybe drag racing? Only driving for a few seconds at a time with no corners may suit him better.

[ensign14]

Such a painful subject for me. I'm glad the guy is doing ok and has a fulfilling career still, but gosh darn, he was an undoubted top talent in F1 that we lost. The entire driver lineup and market right now might look *completely* different if he was still around. He was good enough to make that sort of impact.

 

If he lacked the brains to realize that rally driving might be dangerous enough to compromise a Formula 1 career, then we did not lose a top talent. 

[milestone 11]

Never understood the hype around Kubica. He appears to be unable to keep a rally car, or anything else on the road, to keep doing it, he can't be particularly bright. Check the stats, he has exactly the same number of wins as Maldonado and Maldonado's wasn't gifted. Even if he had got to Ferrari, would he have had as much success there as Alonso? I doubt it.

[realracer200]

I think Kubica already showed what he can do in a rally car plus he seems to be improving season after season. True, he still has too many crashes but the speed is there. Put him in a Volkswagen and he would be winning rallies on asphlat, I am sure of that. I hope he continues with rallies in 2016.

I also think that some comments in this thread are very weird to say the least. In 2008 Kubica fought for the title almost down the last race in a car which overall wasn't among the two best that season. If that's not an exceptional talent then I don't know what is.

[milestone 11]

I think Kubica already showed what he can do in a rally car plus he seems to be improving season after season. True, he still has too many crashes but the speed is there. Put him in a Volkswagen and he would be winning rallies on asphlat, I am sure of that. I hope he continues with rallies in 2016.
I also think that some comments in this thread are very weird to say the least. In 2008 Kubica fought for the title almost down the last race in a car which overall wasn't among the two best that season. If that's not an exceptional talent then I don't know what is.

Mods, I'm not trying to hijack this into a driver thread, this is my one and only resonse of this type.

Sorry but the car was considerably better than you are giving credit for!

[realracer200]

Sorry but the car was considerably better than you are giving credit for!

 

I don't quite understand what you mean by "considerably better" what I meant is that McLaren and Ferrari were better over the season.

Edited by realracer200, 23 October 2015 - 15:52.

[Spillage]

I don't understand posts saying Kubica was accident prone or not a top talent. I can only remember him crashing an F1 car once. His season before his injury (2010) was absolutely outstanding. He is a huge loss to Formula 1.

 

I hope he finds success elsewhere. Rallying isn't really working out for him, but I'd love to see him in WEC.

[BRG]

I wondered if we would hear something like this after Kubica skipped the Australian WRC round.  When Kimi skipped Australia, it was a sign that his WRC adventure was ending.

[LORDBYRON]

Retirement Is his is best option the fact that the lack of opportunities to secure a factory seat speaks volumes.

[Frankbullitt]

Formula E if he could get comfortable in the car. Failing that I would put him in a DTM car.

[Dalin80]

Kubica and Montoya to WEC would be good additions.

 

With his reputation for planting a car into any nearby wall no WEC team will touch him unless they thnk the name assiciation still brings in enough money. Maybe a 458 team, they hire any old crash happy wallet with legs.

[KingTiger]

I'm surprised he hasn't managed to get a seat at one of the factory teams. Doesn't look like anyone can get to Ogier so they might as well market the former F1 driver. 

 

Formula E if he could get comfortable in the car. Failing that I would put him in a DTM car.

 

I hope he doesn't waste his talents in the awful FE. Biggest waste of time ever. 

 

With his reputation for planting a car into any nearby wall no WEC team will touch him unless they thnk the name assiciation still brings in enough money. Maybe a 458 team, they hire any old crash happy wallet with legs.

 

What are you talking about? Kubica before the crash was a finer circuit racer than 99.99% of drivers in WEC.

[ANF]

With his reputation for planting a car into any nearby wall no WEC team will touch him unless they thnk the name assiciation still brings in enough money. Maybe a 458 team, they hire any old crash happy wallet with legs.

How did that reputation come about? Is it a rally thing? I don't remember ever hearing about it during his time in F1.

[BRG]

I'm surprised he hasn't managed to get a seat at one of the factory teams. Doesn't look like anyone can get to Ogier so they might as well market the former F1 driver. 

Even former F1 drivers need to show some results.  He has 8 points so far this season (Ogier has 238!).  You don't get factory seats on that sort of form and you can't market him unless he achieves something.

[Alexandros]

He's been doing some simulator work for Mercedes and he said that he would have no problems driving on some circuits (he'd done bigger distances than race distance), but on some like Monaco it's impossible. This probably rules out IndyCar IIRC they had some street circuits.

 

IMO, if he can drive some circuits but not others due to the extreme levels of steering input required, then perhaps all he needs is a steering wheel with much shorter travel. It would be a very nervous wheel of course, as it would magnify tiny movements, even on the straight, but then again, it would make it possible to race without the hands doing the full motion.

[RealRacing]

Not crashing?

[Dalin80]

How did that reputation come about? Is it a rally thing? I don't remember ever hearing about it during his time in F1.

 

His WRC 'efforts', there is a reason why every other post in this thread is 'not crashing'.

 

His mechanics will be sad to see him go though, they probably found the job security quite refreshing.

[Rakaman]

Maybe he's talking about not crashing.

 

 

(and now.. I'm out of here before the bashing starts)

 

Not crashing is always a good plan, though.

 

Anyway, hope he gives LMP cars a try.

[noikeee]

How did that reputation come about? Is it a rally thing? I don't remember ever hearing about it during his time in F1.

He pretty much crashes every 3 out of 4 rallies. To be fair, odds are it's the lack of feeling/movement in his hands that contributes a lot to that; and it's possibly something that wouldn't apply to circuit racing, as in rallying you pretty much have to improvise in every corner (unlike circuits).

 

I think touring cars - DTM, WTCC, or anything else - sounds like a sensible move at this stage of his career.

[Myrvold]

How did that reputation come about? Is it a rally thing? I don't remember ever hearing about it during his time in F1.

 

I stopped my counting last season, but there was a point (around halfway) where he had to drive every single rally for  the rest of the season, without a mistake, to end with a crash pr rally ratio on 1.0. He didn't manage that, and I honestly have no idea if he is under 1 crash pr. rally now. With the rally-2 system drivers can retire three times in a rally.

[ANF]

  Thanks for summing up his rally career, I haven't been following it at all. All I know is that I regarded him as a great and reliable F1 driver who had the speed and the mindset to win championships in the right car. But hey, he can't be great at everything, and certainly not with an impaired elbow.

[DrProzac]

Is this a thread about Kubica's rallying crashes? 

 

He didn't crash in WRC2 and he won the tittle winning most of the rounds (sure, the level of competition ins't the same, but still). Funny that he had better results in WRC classification with his RRC car than in the WRC one. I guess he just went to WRC and tried to be competitive with not enough experience. Driving with one hand and running a private team also doesn't help. At least he has good pace, so it's not hopeless.

 

It would be much simpler for him in DTM or other racing series though.

 

 

IMO, if he can drive some circuits but not others due to the extreme levels of steering input required, then perhaps all he needs is a steering wheel with much shorter travel. It would be a very nervous wheel of course, as it would magnify tiny movements, even on the straight, but then again, it would make it possible to race without the hands doing the full motion.

Interesting idea, I wonder if they considered it. On other hand, when fractions of a second count, it might not work well. 

Edited by DrProzac, 23 October 2015 - 22:27.

[Atreiu]

If he lacked the brains to realize that rally driving might be dangerous enough to compromise a Formula 1 career, then we did not lose a top talent. 

 

Like Jim Clark, right?

[warp]

How did that reputation come about? Is it a rally thing? I don't remember ever hearing about it during his time in F1.

 

He wasn't really accident prone in F1... but he had what it is arguably the most spectacular crash in recent times in F1. His crash in Montreal was the sort of thing that gives drivers nightmares. High speed against a wall, then rolling, bumping, you name it.

 

Reminds me of that meme: I don't always crash, but when I do, I make sure I really bin it.

[DrProzac]

He had one spectacular crash in his first full year in the sport. In the next year he was a championship contender in an inferior car mostly thanks to consistency. In F1 he was very consistent, almost no errors.

 

People don't realize how difficult rallying is and how different sport it is. 

 

In the current rally Kubica wins stages, but he won't have a good result because tires went off his rims twice, than he had a puncture, than he only had 3rd gear. I won't even mention handbreak issues which denied him another stage win. But people after the rally people will probably say he crashed out, because when the tire/rim failed he hit a bank.

Or he will push it knowing that he lost chances in general anyway and will crash in the process.

 

I think it's unfair to focus only on crashes. It is true that he crashed way too often. But 99% of people on this forum don't follow rallying at all and lack a wide enough view on the issue.

 

Anyway, I feel this topic will be closed due to offtopic - people aren't discussing his career possibilities, but his rally crashing (usually not following rallies at all) or his F1 status which is a thing of the past, really. IMO he still can have a good rallying career (he clearly is fast enough, even on loose surface), but he has to take a step back, take it easy, gain more experience. 

 

I also wonder how would he do without the injury.Or if it would also problematic in DTM or endurance racing.

Edited by DrProzac, 24 October 2015 - 08:22.

[thuGG]

With his reputation for planting a car into any nearby wall no WEC team will touch him unless they thnk the name assiciation still brings in enough money. Maybe a 458 team, they hire any old crash happy wallet with legs.

 

The f**ck are you talking about? He was one of the most reliable driver on F1 grid.

[AlexLangheck]

Have to wish him luck in anything he does. Id like to see what he could do in a DTM car, or maybe a GT or LMP car.

[SophieB]

Can we focus more on Kubica's future career options, please, rather than arguing about his past.

[thuGG]

Ok, so people talking about about him competing in racing full time should really read or listen what Robert says.

In most recent interviews he mainly talks about doing rallying next year, but there has to be a change. Mainly this change would be competing in less rallies but with much better preparation (more tests).

Also he already applied for 2016 Monte Carlo rally.

 

I think rallying will remain his main focus, maybe with some racing mixed with it. As he said, it would be stupid to just stop and loose all the experience he gained.

Edited by thuGG, 24 October 2015 - 10:21.

[CoolBreeze]

He should be thankful he's alive and still have his arm, IMO. The rest is secondary. At least he's still driving...

[F1Champion]

Such a painful subject for me. I'm glad the guy is doing ok and has a fulfilling career still, but gosh darn, he was an undoubted top talent in F1 that we lost. The entire driver lineup and market right now might look *completely* different if he was still around. He was good enough to make that sort of impact.

 

Definately. I can't help but imagine that he could have been in a Red Bull, Mercedes or Ferrari at some point with possibly a WDC in his pocket by now. 

[BRG]

He should be thankful he's alive and still have his arm, IMO. The rest is secondary. At least he's still driving...

This is true.

 

He should look at touring cars.  If Zanardi could manage with no legs, Kubica's problems shouldn't be too much of an obstacle.  Rally has proved too hard physically for him and I suspect any single seater or prototype would be the same.

Edited by BRG, 24 October 2015 - 17:03.