How Alfa’s returning hero brings new perspective

Among the many ruinations COVID-19 has wrought, Robert Kubica's ambitious plans to dovetail a reserve-driver gig at the Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team with a BMW DTM drive (in which he'd also have a hand in team management) are perhaps but a stitch in a global tapestry of thwarted ambitions.

But if anyone in F1 is accustomed to dealing with bumps in the road, it's Kubica. A 2019 season spent making up the numbers in a struggling Williams wasn't the kind of comeback he'd have wanted to make after the best part of a decade out of the F1 cockpit, but it's enabled him to finally put that life-changing 2011 rally accident, and its consequences, behind him.

And as it turns out, he's been racing without leaving his apartment - albeit not quite in the same manner as the likes of Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc...

GP Racing: Obviously, the pandemic has disrupted the sporting calendar, everybody's plans, even the basics of our lifestyles. How have you been coping?

Robert Kubica: Initially it was a bit strange but, as with everything, our brains and bodies get used to new situations. You try to find as much as possible to do during the days. Some things you start doing which you haven't done for years because of the lifestyle we have - you know, travelling and practically never staying at home. And of course, you try to train a bit and keep your mind as busy as possible. In my case, I live alone, so sometimes it might be... not depressing, but if the only people you see around is when you're buying food at the supermarket, well, we're not used to this kind of stuff. But I would say I've been fine - not flying away, but I've been keeping myself busy.

GPR: You've become a convert to cycling in recent years. Have you been able to get out or are you stuck on an indoor trainer?

RK: We haven't been allowed to go out in Monaco, where I've been since I came back from Australia. I think the first three days when we came back it was allowed, but after that it was full lockdown. So, of course, you use trainer applications like Zwift, which have become very popular. Also, riding outdoors takes more time, especially if it's cold and you have to dress in all the winter gear before you go out. So you're also becoming more efficient with timing. We get a nice group of friends, we do some [virtual] meetups, chatting together but sometimes also pushing ourselves.

It's new and a bit unusual but you also try to have fun. Obviously different trainers might not be properly calibrated and it's quite funny in a way, because you get into a group and everybody's happy, then you realise there's a bit too much competition - you think you're stronger but suddenly this guy has a new trainer and he gets some extra power for free. You need a proper balance between fun and training.

GPR: We've not seen you getting involved in the F1 Esports series. Is that because you've been busy on the virtual bike?

RK: You're right - I was spending too much time on Zwift. I was training probably too much - twice a day, once just for training then another ride with friends. And I was missing a piece in my simulator. Then it arrived and I've actually done some endurance races on iRacing with friends since then - the 12 Hours of Suzuka in a GT car with BMW, and a 24-Hour race at the Nurburgring. Unfortunately we didn't finish that due to an accident.

"Hinwil is a special place for me, and even though the people there aren't exactly the same, there are many familiar faces from 14 years ago when I made my Formula 1 debut" Robert Kubica

It's a proper commitment, especially on iRacing - it's very high-level and you're competing against proper Esports sim drivers. Then I realised I was too focused on that, and it was using a lot of my energy, so I saw I needed to balance things. Now I'm doing both [Zwift and sim racing].

But, yeah, I haven't raced on the F1 platform. I use the simulator more as a concentration tool and I try to keep it short - daily, but short - and not to get into too much competition. Some people are doing 300 or 400 laps to prepare for a race, so then you have to do that as well because in the end we're all racers, and although it's virtual, you want to make the most of your potential. The only way to do that is practice as much as you can, and then you start to lose a bit of the approach I like about the simulator, which is different from purely racing.

And you know, the thought of finding myself on Twitch - I'm a bit past that! Years ago I did spend a massive amount of time on the computer, but that was playing Richard Burns Rally...

GPR: Out in the real world, the pandemic must have had a big effect on your plans because you had some other things lined up as well as your programme with Alfa Romeo...

RK: Yeah, I'm in the same boat as everyone in motorsport - everyone in the world - in that this period has had a big effect. Hopefully we'll be able to get started as soon as possible but we have to remember the priority is health.

This year was supposed to be tough because I was doing two championships: the reserve-driver role with some FP1 sessions in F1 with Alfa Romeo, and the full DTM season in a BMW with Orlen Team ART. There were times when I looked at my calendar and thought, 'No, this is too much'. There were months when I wasn't able to come home for even two days. There were periods when I had 11 [race] weekends in a row, then one weekend off, then another four or five weekends in a row.

So I'm almost laughing now to think there was a time when I said it would be too much and here we are in lockdown at home. It's a bit like in the winter you complain it's too cold, then the summer comes and you complain it's too hot! The reality is that we would all love to be back, to race, and hopefully this moment will arrive. Our lives will have to adapt - the situation will evolve and get better, but it will still not be the case from one day to another that we go back to the lifestyle we had a few months ago.

GPR: Indeed - what are your feelings on travelling to races?

RK: For instance, from Monaco, it would be a difficult task. As far as I know, there are only two flights a day from Nice airport - to Paris and Corsica. There will be no international flights until September. So we'll have to react to the situation as it develops, take all precautions and minimise the risks. It's a delicate situation because from one side we would love to race, and I think anyone who is passionate about motorsport would like to see us racing again, but on the other hand we cannot take big risks because as we've seen, this can get very serious. It's a strong and invisible opponent we're playing against. You never know what might happen in the coming weeks.

GPR: Presumably you visited the Alfa Romeo factory in Hinwil a fair few times before lockdown. How did that feel - was it like a homecoming of sorts? Were there still familiar faces?

RK: Yeah, Hinwil is a special place for me, and even though the people there aren't exactly the same, there are many familiar faces from 14 years ago when I made my Formula 1 debut. Back then it was BMW, now it's Alfa Romeo, but it's still the place that gave me my big opportunity, and it's nice to be back in the same environment that gave so much. When you go in the factory you see pictures and your trophies - you see other drivers' trophies as well, but then you start realising that there are more of your trophies than the others. Then you see a car which you raced, with your name on it.

"With 14 years more, understanding Formula 1 a bit more, maybe some things I would play differently. But still I think we have respect for each other" Robert Kubica

I'm not a very emotional person but it was a really nice feeling and, as you say, you find the same faces, the same people after many years. Some have been promoted, some have changed departments, and some people have changed a bit, but they're still there. Also it's been a bit similar with the DTM, which I'm due to race in with BMW - who were involved with Sauber in that period. When I made my F1 debut the team was based half in Hinwil and half in Munich, where the engines were built, and it's incredible that I'm back in those two places. It's like coming back home.

GPR: Given that you achieved so much success with them, the door must have been fairly open to you when you showed an interest in returning...

RK: We did have a good time, but we didn't have an easy time together. Of course, I was young and I was very focused on the performance side. It sometimes gets more complicated than you might think and probably with the experience I have now, with 14 years more, understanding Formula 1 a bit more, maybe some things I would play differently. But still I think we have respect for each other. Every factory, every team has different ways of approaching the operational side and you have to get used to this.

What's nice is that so many of the people in Hinwil remembered stories from years ago. It came very naturally, emotionally - funny stories, things I'd forgotten about. It shows that I left a good impression and it's nice to see - especially from people you respect.

GPR: There have been several seasons in this past decade when the team was - as Sauber - struggling to survive and its most achievable ambition was simply to stay on the grid. What's your feeling about the ambition there now, with new investment and a new name? It seems like a team rediscovering its belief.

RK: Obviously, as you say, Sauber went through very difficult years. I think those years have passed by and it's good to see. You can see it in the people. Of course, to cancel out a period when you were just surviving is not the work of a single day. It's a tough sport and it requires a lot of years and a lot of commitment - once you've been struggling to survive, racing just to be on the grid, you're losing ground.

So I think there's a lot of work in front of us, a lot of things to improve, and it will require time to get back to where our ambition is, especially in current F1 where the midfield teams are very strong. We saw in testing that some teams had made a really big step forward - I think F1 is now at its best level of competitiveness it's ever been. This makes our task difficult but nevertheless we must focus and extract the maximum from what we have, react well to whatever happens, and we'll get in a position where we can fight for top-ten positions.

GPR: You said that age and experience have given you a different perspective on the past. Obviously, within the next 18 months the teams are going to have to start shifting the focus of their development to the new rules package now coming in 2022. Back in 2008 you were a contender for the world championship and BMW decided to stop development of that car early, shifting focus to the new rules coming in 2009. You were quite vocal in your opposition to that. Is this something you've changed perspective on over the years, or do you still think that was probably a mistake?

RK: I would say I have exactly the same view as I did 12 years ago, because in the end I was involved, and I was in the situation where unfortunately I was feeling that this might be our only chance to fight [for the championship]. I've always had a very high respect for F1 as a sport, from a driver's point of view but also from a team's, and you never know what the future will bring.

PLUS: How BMW-Sauber blew its chance of title glory

We didn't have the fastest car, this is a fact. Normally the fastest car is winning the championship, but not always, and for whatever reason - the mistakes of others, doing a better job at the beginning of the season - in the end, without the fastest car, we were still leading the championship [Kubica led the drivers' standings after the Canadian GP].

And I thought, 'You have to use your opportunities, because you never know in life when you'll get a second chance'. It's funny - I met some of the mechanics after ten years, who were there with me, and even lately people have reminded me about it - and they had exactly the same view. And they regret it, because in the end we didn't get another chance.

For BMW, 2009 was a very important year. And probably we didn't know the reason it was so important. We found out in August [2009] that BMW decided to stop in F1. If we had been competitive in 2009 BMW might, I think, have found it more difficult to stop. The 2009 car was a big disappointment for us, but they were very keen on the KERS technology. We were probably the first team to test the KERS car.

"In the end you never know if we would have won or not, but I think we could have done a bit more to try, to achieve something more" Robert Kubica

There was a completely different aero package so it was a completely new Formula 1. So we started very early and maybe this was the right choice, because I assume someone knew there was a risk that if we weren't competitive, BMW might stop. For me and the others it was completely unknown.

I remember racing in Hungary [2009], then we said, 'OK, see you after the summer break', then two or three days later I got a phone call to say tomorrow BMW will announce its retirement from F1. It was a shock for everyone. I had a contract for at least one more year there, I think.

The situation might be different from different angles but, as a driver, I can't change my point of view. You have to use your opportunities. Unfortunately what I was fearing happened, and what was more upsetting was that we tested some parts on the 2008 car, which were giving a lot of performance, but we kept them for 2009. They were really improving the lap times and car's characteristics when we ran them in the middle of 2008.

In the end you never know if we would have won or not, but I think we could have done a bit more to try, to achieve something more. But the approach at the time was very based on targets. I remember that year we had the target to win a race. [BMW boss] Mario Theissen said our target was to win a race with our own force - not with luck but with our own force.

And then someone asked if we were targeting to fight for the championship and he said 'no, we're targeting a single race win'. And we achieved that target in Canada. What was missing was another target, 2009 was a target but there was still another five or six months of the 2008 championship going on.

GPR: That was an interesting year, wasn't it? Lewis Hamilton had probably been stronger through the 2007 season, whereas 2008 was all over the place.

RK: This is racing. No one was dominating. Ferrari and McLaren were stronger at some tracks than others, but had technical issues and made mistakes. That's how I came to be leading the championship, and stayed in the fight so long, without the fastest car. I remember in Fuji qualifying sixth, with [team-mate] Nick [Heidfeld] 16th.

We were nowhere with performance. But I led on lap one and finished second. I'm sure if we were racing the parts we'd tested three months earlier, I'd have won that race. I still have some regrets about it, but I also feel that I was fortunate to be in this position - because there are many talented drivers who never had that chance.