147 replies to this topic

[romantik]

Ako je takva situacija, zar nema vozaca koji mogu doneti istu sumu, a mogu da izdrze celu trku!?

[/13/Ален Шмит/]

RTL GP: Kubica potpisao dvogodišnji ugovor s Vilijamsom!

 

http://www.rtlgp.nl/...ee_bij_williams

 

Grub prevod: Robert Kubica će voziti za Vilijams sledeće sezone, izvori bliski poljskom vozaču su nagovestili RTL GPu da je Robert potpisao dvogodišnji ugovor s britanskim timom. U ponedeljak je objavljena ova vest u RTL GP onlajn motorsport programu Slipstrim.

 

Kubica je već bio aktivan u F1 od 2007-2010, povredio se na reli udesu nazimus 2011. a ove godine je počeo aktivni program povratka u F1 s Renoom. Dalnji napredak je zaustavio Sajncov angažman a nadu u povratak mu je dao Felipe Masa koji je objavio povlačenje iz sporta. Tako da je Kubica nastavio s treninzima i vožnjama uz Vilijams s raznim testiranjima bolida iz 2014. sezone.

 

Saznajemo da je Pol di Resta bio najozbiljniji kandidat za Masinu zamenu, no Vilijams se opredelio za Kubicu i ponudio mu dvogodišnji ugovor. Tridesedvogodišnji Kubica će tako biti timski kolega Lensu Strolu a sledeće testiranje će obaviti u Abu Dabiju posle zadnje trke sezone.

[alberto.ascari]

Ako je ovo tačno, izvrsna vest.

Samo se bojim da ne bude kao sa Šumijevim povratkom.

[/13/Ален Шмит/]

Imam vere u Roberta, on ovo žarko želi. Motivacija koju poseduje topi metal. Bumo videli sledeće godine koliko se zapravo spremio za F1, ja samo čekam VN Mađarske i erekciju koju ću dobiti zbog ovoga▼

 

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Motivacija je super stvar, sad treba da dokaze da moze 2h u kontinuitetu da vozi brze krugove po Monaku. Ja sam siguran da je on i sa jednom rukom bolji od pola sadasnjeg grida na stazama koje ne zahtevaju previse "rada" sa volanom ali se plasim kako ce na onim zajebanijima.

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

The Williams Formula 1 team has denied it has already completed a deal with Robert Kubica for 2018 and ruled out an announcement during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Kubica tested Williams's 2014 F1 car twice last month as the team assessed him as a potential replacement for Felipe Massa.

He is also set to drive for the team in the post-Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Pirelli tyre test.

Amid increasing speculation that Kubica had secured the second Williams seat, the team has insisted nothing is decided.

"Although conversations are ongoing with Kubica, it is still yet to be finally decided who will replace Massa," said a Williams statement.

"We will make an announcement when we have something to announce but nothing is planned this weekend in Abu Dhabi."

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Ruminations on Williams
November 22, 2017 by Joe Saward

The Williams team has announced that it wll be running Sergey Sirotkin alongside Robert Kubica in the post-Abu Dhabi testing. This throws a curved ball into the theories that Kubica has already signed a deal with the team for 2018. There is no question that the team is interested in the Polish driver, particularly as he seems to have found some financial support from Polish companies, but if Sirotkin is being tried out it suggests that the Russian either has more money than Kubica, or that he is offering a chunk of money for the test, in the hope that it will turn the heads of the Williams management.On balance, the first explanation seems to make more sense. Sirotkin is currently Third and Reserve Driver with Renault F1, having moved up from the role of Test Driver in 2016, after a strong year in GP2, finishing third behind Prema Racing drivers Pierre Gasly and Antonio Giovinazzi. His position at Renault is obviously eased by funding from SMP Racing, which can be seen on the R.S.17. He has long been funded by SMP, a Russian financial institution owned by Boris and Arkady Rotenberg, a pair of oligarchs who are active in the world of construction, oil industry infrastructure and finance. The two brothers enjoy a large number of government contracts and are close to President Vladimir Putin, which has resulted in Boris being on the list of individuals sanctioned by the US and the EU, following the Ukraine Crisis in 2014. Boris Rotenberg has invested a great deal of money to develop motor racing in Russia, supporting Sirotkin, Mikhail Aleshin and others, while also being active in GT racing. Next year SMP will be running a team of Dallara prototypes in the LMP1 class of the World Endurance Championship. The fact that Sirotkin has been allowed to test for Williams suggests that his time at Enstone is probably coming to a close. The team seems to be looking to Anglo-Korean racer Jack Aitken in the future. He is a member of the Renault Academy and is expected to move into Formula 2 next year. He recently tested a Renault F1-run 2012-spec Lotus E20 at Jerez. Sirotkin has not raced since 2016 and so really needs to get back into a car in 2018 if he is to continue with his ambitions to be a Formula 1 driver.

This would seem to suggest that the choice of the Williams driver for next year is going to be influenced by money. The team gets around $80 million in prize money, with a rumoured $20 million from Martini. There is also a significant sponsorship from Unilever, to promote its Sure and Rexona deodorants and there is no doubt that the Stroll family is also buying space on the car, in order to sell it to fund Lance Stroll’s drive.

Williams has been taking drivers with funding behind them for some time, notably with Pastor Maldonado, hoping to keep up with the bigger teams and waiting in the hope that a manufacturer will come along and partner the team. This could happen when the new engine rules and financial structures are introduced in 2021 and so getting to that point is the key for the team.

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

MEDLAND: What will Williams do?
Wednesday, 22 November 2017
By Chris Medland / Images by Dunbar/LAT, Mauger/LAT, Portlock/LAT & Coates/LAT



 
Will they? Won't they? Or maybe even: Have they?

Usually when almost all the seats are filled on the F1 grid, excitement surrounding the driver market starts to die down. With fewer permutations, it's less of an unknown what a team is likely to do, and the pecking order of competitive cars means it tends to be the least competitive seats that are last to be confirmed.

While you could argue that's the case at Sauber – where Charles Leclerc looks set to partner Marcus Ericsson in 2018, but a slight surprise would be to see Antonio Giovinazzi join Leclerc – it is certainly not the case with Williams.

Fifth in the constructors' championship this year and with Paddy Lowe's influence set to be felt with its new car, Williams has the ingredients to be a competitive midfield runner once again next season. It's an attractive seat, but after consecutive top three constructors' finishes gave way to back-to-back defeats in its fight against Force India for best of the rest, the team is in need of a boost.

Attracting top-level talent is not easy. A year ago, Claire Williams mentioned Jenson Button as a driver she would like to have involved. This year, Fernando Alonso was a reported target. Both proved to be unrealistic, but it shows what Williams thinks the team needs alongside Lance Stroll as part of its driver line-up.

There are solid young options around for Williams, but there is only one driver who can previously boast having matched the level of world champions such as Alonso and Button who is currently chasing a seat: Robert Kubica.



It has been no secret that Kubica is looking for a return to F1 some six years after he was left with severe injuries in a rally crash in Italy. Kubica (at left, above) still bears the scars and limitations of those injuries, most notably on his right arm, but they have not stopped him pushing on in search of a return that would go down as one of the most remarkable sporting comebacks in history.

On the face of it, it seems like a no-brainer for Williams. Put Kubica in the car alongside Stroll and you've got a world class talent who would bring massive interest even if he is unable to quite replicate his performance level from before his accident. The natural gravitation toward the Pole would make him the perfect focal point for the team – and he's experienced enough to deal with such a role – while also giving Stroll a fresh benchmark.

But there is always so much more to life than what we see "on the face of it." Tests and talks have been ongoing for a number of months, and the buzz among fans is huge, so why the lack of commitment so far?



Kubica has tested old cars for both Renault and Williams this year and even made a high-profile appearance at the Hungaroring in this year's Renault (above). That wasn't enough to convince the team to opt for the Pole over Red Bull youngster Carlos Sainz, leading to the recent evaluations with Williams.

While they have not been made public by Renault, there were obviously some doubts. Kubica had them too before driving the car, insisting he would not chase a full-time return unless he was sure he could perform at the level required. While he appears to have that confidence in himself, those doubts could still extend to Williams as the team says it is unlikely to have made a final decision on its driver line-up before it has seen how Kubica performs in a 2017 car during one morning at the Pirelli tire test next week.

Williams has maintained that it primarily makes its driver decisions based on driving ability, and to take such approach means removing the romance from the situation.

After an initial report in Brazil that was denied by the team, rumors again started to circulate on social media this week that Kubica had agreed a two-year deal to partner Stroll, something that again led to a statement. With more than one option, Williams would need to make clear to other potential drivers that any negotiations are worth continuing with, but the latest team quote suggests a clear favorite.

"Although conversations are ongoing with Kubica, it is still yet to be finally decided who will replace Massa," a team spokesperson said. "We will make an announcement when we have something to announce but nothing is planned this weekend in Abu Dhabi."

Even if Kubica is the team's preference, there are a number of hurdles to overcome. This week Mark Hughes reported in Motorsport magazine that Kubica will need to pay back an insurance payout activated by what had appeared to be the end of his F1 career over six years ago. Those sort of financial implications make it a complex deal to pursue regardless of his driving performance, especially if there's risk attached.

Without a deal in place, next week's test could still prove crucial to Kubica's hopes. While Williams chief technical officer Paddy Lowe has insisted the Pirelli test is "not the place for a shootout" – shootout being a word the team has jokingly banned from its media sessions this year – the fact that he will run one morning session before handing over to Stroll allows a potential comparison between the two. Add in Sergey Sirotkin following the same schedule the following day, and the opportunities are there to gauge Kubica's performance against two different quantities.

Realistically, it will be difficult for Kubica to completely convince Williams during a test that is run by Pirelli, but if he faces any difficulties or performs inconsistently then the test could lead to further seeds of doubt.



I admit, it's a negative way of looking at it, but that's due to the caution both Renault and now Williams are having to treat Kubica's attempted return. This is a driver who retains the massive respect of the likes of Lewis Hamilton (pictured at left, above, dueling Kubica at Monaco in 2009) and Fernando Alonso, having been one of the standout talents of F1 during his first time in the sport, but his last race start was at the same circuit he'll test next week some seven years ago.

A comeback would be a brilliant story, but only if it's done because his pure performance and ability remains good enough at this point in time. To bring Kubica back and have him struggle before being replaced would be heartbreaking for all involved, as well as hugely costly to both the driver and team.

With Stroll showing flashes of potential but still hugely inconsistent as he gains experience – he is only 19, after all – Williams needs to get this driver decision right. If not Kubica, then Pascal Wehrlein is an attractive proposition if Mercedes wants to progress its young driver up the grid, but that would result in a line-up short on experience and less attractive to sponsors.

It will be a gamble whatever Williams chooses to do, but the team has given itself every chance to evaluate the different options in depth and come to as informed a decision as possible.

If after all that it is Kubica, feel free to get excited...

[/13/Ален Шмит/]

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Medical specialists will examine Robert Kubica before he is granted an FIA super license.

That is the news from Abu Dhabi, the 2017 season finale that is being attended by FIA president Jean Todt.

Seven years after almost losing his right arm in a rallying crash, former BMW and Renault driver Kubica is now on the cusp of signing a deal to return to F1 next year with Williams.

"Yes, we are working with him now to assess whether his past injuries will affect his ability to perform in formula one," Williams boss Paddy Lowe said in Abu Dhabi.

Kubica, 32, will test Williams' 2017 car next week.

"I would say that until now there have been no problems," said Lowe. "Let's see what happens next week.

"Williams is considering other candidates and we will not make our decision this weekend or even next week."

That could be because the FIA needs to agree that Kubica, who has limited use of his arm, is fit and safe to return.

"We have relevant experts and I have no doubt that all necessary checks at every level will be done if the situation demands it," said FIA president Todt.

"The doctors would decide if he gets a super license."

But even on a commercial level, Kubica's chances appear strong. Blick, a Swiss newspaper, claims the Pole would bring Polish oil company Lotos with him as a sponsor.

However, Williams will also test Renault reserve Sergey Sirotkin in Abu Dhabi next week, who is backed by the lucrative Russian programme SMP Racing.

Lowe said of the Russian driver: "We have not worked with Sergey before, so let's see what this leads to -- a short or a long-term cooperation.

"In any case, I think he is an interesting driver."

But Toto Wolff, who is pushing Williams to take Mercedes junior Pascal Wehrlein, insists that Kubica is the clear favourite.

"I think it is clear that Robert is the priority at Williams," he told Auto Bild.

"I think he deserves the opportunity, even if there is a small chance that it will not work for him. But nobody wants to see that."

[alberto.ascari]

[lemiwili]

Sve cestitke Massi na dosadasnjoj karijeri uz zelju da sto duze trosi penziju:)

 

Kubica bi bio odlican potez za Williams. Nadam se da moze da izdrzi trku I koliko toliko parira konkurenciji.

 

Cinjenica da mi vise nikad necemo imati sampionski bolid a u danasnjoj F1 eri dzaba svetski sampion u timu kad jase magarca.

 

Alonso je to u nekoliko navrata pokazao ali je zato pametno nabrao suske kad vec vlasnici magaraca hoce da placaju.

[/13/Ален Шмит/]

Kubica je danas vrlo zauzet 

 

 

 

Edited by /13/Ален Шмит/, 27 November 2017 - 13:59.

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Williams will be assessing whether Robert Kubica's injuries limit his ability to drive a 2017 car at this week's Pirelli tire test, chief technical officer Paddy Lowe admits.

Kubica has been chasing a return to Formula 1 more than six years after a horrific rally accident left him with life-threatening injuries in February 2011. After a number of tests with Renault earlier this season – including in its 2017 car at the Hungaroring – Kubica switched his focus to Williams when Carlos Sainz was signed alongside Nico Hulkenberg for 2018, and this week will see his first opportunity to drive the 2017 Williams.

"Robert is an impressive guy," Lowe said. "We all saw how he operated in Formula 1 in the past. He's a great driver – very professional, very committed, enthusiastic, very intelligent. He's an exciting prospect, that's why we're looking at him.

"We're in a process with Robert, which is a matter of evaluating whether his injuries will have an impact on his ability to drive in Formula 1. It's as simple as that.

"So far it's been fine, is all I'd say – we ran the 2014 car and there were no issues, so I think we just see how it goes next week, then we make our assessment. He will do a normal program and in the process we can answer those questions."

Kubica will drive on both Tuesday morning and again on late Wednesday afternoon for Williams, with Lowe admitting the team needs to ensure it keeps emotion out of its final driver decision despite the obvious goodwill story that a return for the Pole would make.

"I pick that up – a lot of people do say how great it would be if Robert was back in F1. We'll see. It's important to be objective in what we do. There are other drivers still under consideration, but we know how they perform because they've been racing – we have lots of race data."

RACER understands Williams hopes to make a final decision on its driver line-up in the first two weeks of December to ensure it has clarity ahead of the new year.

 

Vremena se mogu naci ovde: https://www.f1today....28/tyre-testing

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Williams says it will not discuss Robert Kubica's speed following his two days of Formula 1 testing in Abu Dhabi.

Kubica finished the second day of running in seventh position, two seconds off Sebastian Vettel's pace, as he bids to land the second Williams seat alongside Lance Stroll.

The Pole was four tenths quicker than Sergey Sirotkin, who also drove the Williams during the day, although the Russian set his fastest time with the soft tyres while Kubica used the new hyper-softs.

Williams' tech chief Paddy Lowe said, however, that the lap times offered a misleading picture, and refused to discuss Kubica's pace.

"I'm not going to talk about speed," said Lowe at the end of the second day of testing. "It's a complicated topic.

"I'm sure you want me to give some answers about that but it's not something we are not going to discuss.

"It's a really complicated topic, performance and speed, so to read a timesheet is quite misleading, so I'm not going to talk about that.

"We haven't even analysed it for ourselves."

Lowe reiterated that Kubica's runs were completed without issue from the physical side.

"Robert drove the 2014 car at Silverstone and Hungary, so we have lots of good information and Robert did a fantastic job," Lowe said.

"He's a very, very professional guy, very knowledgeable, very experienced, and that was a great benefit during these evaluations.

"We wanted to see Robert as he hasn't driven a current car, or current tyres, so of course it was interesting to see how he got on with that.

"No problems. He's absolutely fine. Good driving, no complaints, no issues. All went well."

Lowe insisted the team was in no hurry to finalise its 2018 line-up, and suggested the fight for the remaining seat was not just between the drivers it tested in Abu Dhabi.

"We'll take the decision at the time we are ready," he added. "When we have all the information and we are ready to declare it.

"The drivers we brought to this test doesn't mean that it's the drivers under consideration for racing next year.

"This was a tyre test, which is an opportunity to look at two different drivers as well as for Lance to look at the new tyres. That was the purpose.

"Of course it gives us more information about drivers, but it's not setting a definition from the pool from which we will pick race drivers."