Why Kubica's F1 comeback is not a failure

This time last year, the Robert Kubica Formula 1 comeback fairytale was gathering momentum.

After behind-closed-doors running for Renault, he made his public comeback at the Hungaroring test, and rumours swirled that he was back to his pre-accident best and ready to get back on the grid.

Roll on 12 months and, after being passed over by Renault and then getting to the brink of a Williams race seat, only for it to slip through his fingers after testing in Abu Dhabi in November, the Kubica bandwagon has slowed.

Today, the 33-year-old Pole is part of the Williams team as test and reserve driver and is a constant presence in the grand prix paddock. But he's only a bit-part player rather than the star attraction he would have been had he taken a place on the grid.

But for Kubica, this is more than just another story of an F1 aspirant in an ostensibly frustrating situation. After all, this was a driver who, on the morning of February 6 2011, was trapped in the wreckage of his Skoda Fabia after crashing on the Ronde di Andora rally.

The accident was horrific, with the car hitting the leading edge of a barrier that then sliced through the front of the Skoda, inflicting life-changing injuries to Kubica's right hand, leg and arm.

Kubica doesn't lose sight of the fact that it has taken years of operations, rehabilitation, pain and dedication to get back to a position where he can drive a grand prix car well and have an active F1 role. Those disappointed that he's not in a race seat should remember this is a triumph of the indomitable spirit of a man who lives and breathes motorsport, combined with medical excellence.

"There were high hopes from quite a lot of people that I could get a [race] drive," says Kubica. "Because there were so many hopes, my comeback to the paddock has been seen, not by anyone inside but by fans, as a negative. I think that from where I have been, it's still a big achievement."

An F1 racing return is still possible. It's yet to be seen how the takeover of Force India by a consortium backed by Lawrence Stroll, father of Williams driver Lance Stroll, may impact Kubica's hopes. But he is close to Stroll Jr and has done what he can to help the Canadian, and a race seat at Force India alongside him isn't out of the question. Beyond that, promotion at Williams is perhaps his best shot. But it's fair to say that, at present, Kubica is very much a minor player in a vibrant 2019 driver market.

Kubica has now had most of his chances to impress behind the wheel in 2018. From now, there remain just a Friday practice outing in Abu Dhabi and then a possible appearance at the same venue in the post-race tyre test - if it happens - on his schedule. But he is adamant that his focus has been on contributing everything he can to the team.

"I would like to race, that's no secret - but this [thought] stays far away when I'm working" Robert Kubica

"Someone might say, 'Well, you are targeting becoming a race driver', so you have to show everything," says Kubica. "That's true, but if someone wants to believe I'm good enough they'll believe it, and if someone doesn't want to they'll find a hundred excuses. What is important is confidence in myself when I'm behind the wheel. I don't see the necessity of a big push."

Kubica is a throwback to the super-test drivers - Pedro de la Rosa, Alex Wurz and Olivier Panis - who had stints putting on miles for teams such as McLaren in the days of near-constant running outside of F1 weekends. Kubica himself was BMW Sauber tester, which he parlayed into a race seat in place of Jacques Villeneuve during the 2006 season. Now he is firmly embedded in the fabric of a team, albeit with only occasional running.

"I would like to race, that's no secret," says Kubica. "But this [thought] stays far away when I'm working. In my situation, I would never like to race because it would mean that one of our race drivers is sick or something's happened to him, which is not what I really wish. But, on the other hand, I have to be ready in case this happens or in case Williams says I have to race.

"You have to keep up your training. This is a good opportunity for me because I'm not the regular third driver who drives very little or not at all. I still have quite a lot of chances, whereas third drivers normally don't have any chance. This is important for me because it's keeping me refreshed every couple of months when I get the opportunity.

"In our situation, we are working on trying to solve things, so it's a bit different to what my role was planned to be. In the situation where the car ran smoothly, I would have a big impact. I'm an active driver where I'm driving the car, I'm the reserve driver and then also a bit of a simulator driver. And I'm taking part in the technical meetings and stuff like this. It's quite an open-minded position and that's what I think is satisfactory for myself and for the team."

He certainly is putting in the legwork, as you are most likely to see Kubica in the F1 paddock shuttling between the motorhome and the garage. Unlike some in that role, his priority is not simply hanging around in branded gear calling himself an F1 driver.

To understand the journey Kubica has been on, it's important to understand how much he's had to adapt both his driving and his day-to-day life to his injury. He doesn't want to be defined by what he calls his 'limitation', and as a driver it's only fair that we judge him based on what he can do.

He's not quite the same driver he was in his pomp - which is hardly condemning him, because he was often brilliant during his time with BMW Sauber and then Renault. He'd already shown himself to be a world championship-calibre driver and was destined for a move to Ferrari.

But Kubica has gone down a different path. Thanks to the limited movement in his right arm and hand, he has been forced to change things. First and foremost, he has had to adapt from right-handed to left-handed. While his right hand does participate in the process, watching the onboards makes it very clear that it's the left hand that is very much dominant.

"It's coming naturally because this is the way I have to do it," he says of his driving. "I cannot try to do the things I used to do because, with my limitation, I'm not able to do it. That's not only [applied to] driving but also living. Everything I tried to do in the same way, I got disappointed, but then I realised I could still do them in different ways.

"Many years ago, when I started testing with simulators, I asked my doctor if it's possible I have much better sensitivity, more precision in my left arm. Last year, I was asked by Renault to go to a medical centre where they test a lot of that stuff.

"Actually, my results for precision and speed and force of the left arm was at least 35% better than the best they have ever seen! Somehow, your body adapts to reality. If you are two-handed, healthy, you don't need to be so precise with one arm. So, for example, when I'm driving, I'm driving around 70% left-handed and 30% right. If I were to try to do 50/50 like the old days, I would not manage it."

Kubica is unquestionably safe and competent behind the wheel of an F1 car. He's still capable of controlling the car, provoking it when he needs to and responding to the snaps and unstable moments of the tricky-to-drive Williams FW41. As he points out, with F-ducts, which required drivers to cover a hole in the cockpit with some part of their arm or leg, it was a different situation.

If you think that what Kubica is doing this year is in any way a disappointment, you're wrong

"In 2010, I was doing Eau Rouge with Renault in qualifying with one hand because I was covering the hole to stop the rear wing and I was going through Eau Rouge one-handed," says Kubica. "This was much more dangerous than my driving now, because then I was really driving only one-handed. Of course, there are moments where I drive only right-handed or let's say on the straight, I'm recovering my left hand.

"But this comes automatically and I think I'm very lucky in my position because I have always driven not in a physical way at all. I drive very relaxed.

"I've spoken with other drivers who have to hold the steering wheel otherwise they can't drive it. I remember some pictures in 2006 - the early days with BMW - there are pictures showing I have three fingers open while cornering. One journalist asked what I was doing, and I told him I don't need to hold it fully - you just need to use your force enough to do it.

"In karting, if you put anyone in a go-kart he wastes so much energy because it's a new movement. By the time the brain understands that actually he doesn't have to hold it so tight on the straights, you realise you use one third of the energy to do the same lap time. So, this is a learning process, which came automatically."

Kubica is still learning in his second F1 career. After all, he's had fewer than 500 laps in this year's Williams, along with his outings last year, to readapt to F1. It would be difficult enough had he simply been absent for half a decade, let alone with restricted movement.

Whatever happens next, the Kubica story is a remarkable one. He has demonstrated the mental fortitude of a driver who could have been a world champion. But he's won a very different kind of battle.

So, if you think that what Kubica is doing this year is in any way a disappointment, you're wrong.