Kubica - Ferrari Bound for 2013?

circusf1.com - an italian f1 site, whos credibility i dont know of at all, are claiming that Kubica is to be ferraris test driver for 2012. this will apparently be announced as early as 3rd February, at the car launch of the 2012 car.

to a lot of people that would fill the puzzle and explain the brakup with lotus and his doctor.

wait and see i guess. this rumour im not that believing in, would be a sensation of a story.

That rumour has been around for ages. Kubica was linked with Ferrari well before his accident and may have even signed a letter of intent. Whilst it may hav the whiff of sensationalism about it you'd have to admit that sensational things in F1 have a habit of turning out to be true.

Loophole in the rules that allows teams to sell older cars to 'private owners'?

Out of contract Kubica to buy an older Ferrari for £1 as a private customer, and have unlimited track use in Italy?

Or Kubica to test Ferrari's 2014 car with new regs, with fall outside the current testing limits.

Would be an epic move by Ferrari to get a) the ultimate new driver with Alonso and b) to get WELL ahead with the new 2014 rules.

Watch this space...


Jenson drives it like he owns it; Lewis drives it like he stole it



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/31/2012 12:20PM by danm.

I doubt a car running to 2014 regs would be ready until well 2014. Surely having this or next year would be going against the resource restriction somewhat.

I know teams in the past prepared drastically early for new regs, for example Williams ran a narrow track FW18 with grooved tyres (I think) well in advance of the regs coming in force in 1998.

But these times have changed.

I would think that Robert would be doing a lot do simulator time and possibly borrowing 2 year old car from the clientele :P

I can't find any pictures, but my research tells me that Williams ran FW18D and FW19B as narrow track development cars before the FW20 was finalised.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/31/2012 04:43PM by J i m.

J i m Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I doubt a car running to 2014 regs would be ready
> until well 2014. Surely having this or next year
> would be going against the resource restriction
> somewhat.
>
> I know teams in the past prepared drastically
> early for new regs, for example Williams ran a
> narrow track FW18 with grooved tyres (I think)
> well in advance of the regs coming in force in
> 1998.
>
> But these times have changed.
>
> I would think that Robert would be doing a lot do
> simulator time and possibly borrowing 2 year old
> car from the clientele :P
>
> I can't find any pictures, but my research tells
> me that Williams ran FW18D and FW19B as narrow
> track development cars before the FW20 was
> finalised.

every team is already planning for 2014 with the engine change. ferrari and others could test potential 2014 technology in 2012 with loopholes. what the italian media suspicion is, is that ferrari want a driver who is good at developing a car, ie someone like kubica, to start work early for 2013. they are saying he could do simulator work first half of this year, then track work and 3rd driver work second half of the year.

and there he goes, risking his "F1 career" once again!

Images taken from Italian sports website..

Alguesari says he has heard that kubica cant hold a glass in his hand:
[translate.google.com]

But also reported is that kubica is testing a wrc class rally car
[translate.google.com]

maybe driving a rally car first is better for the psychology, to face any fears he may have at driving 100%

[www.rallyemotion.it]


a friend of his was quoted on autosport (i think it was) a couple of days ago saying kubica will make a decision in june/july to test or not to test an f1 car.


ferrari still hasnt named their third driver, and if its true they have a verbal agreemant with him for 2013, then they may be waiting on his rehabilitation (which they may be funding if you believe some sources).

also in this article it says that kubicas managers might have been to blame for the breakup with renault, and also possibly led kubica to believe he will go to ferrari, when infact it could be all totally incorrect:
[www.autosport.com]

now he has been captured go karting, (but apparently only did 3 laps?)

(With photos!)

[www.mykart.it]

[www.f1fanclub.pl]

[sport.wp.pl]

the western f1 sites only every copy info from themselves so will be slow to pick this up. planet-f1.com only today picked up the news of kubica driving the skoda rally car.

Those Karting pics suggest he was out for a laugh with friends, because if it was anything serious you'd have expected him to be driving proper race karts at an race track, not your typical indoor rental arrive n drive type place.

J i m Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Those Karting pics suggest he was out for a laugh
> with friends, because if it was anything serious
> you'd have expected him to be driving proper race
> karts at an race track, not your typical indoor
> rental arrive n drive type place.


you are right that it wasnt anything serious, but at least he did it, and at least people can see some photos of him, and see he isnt some 150kg depressed troll who is bedridden and cant move because of all his injuries. what was more serious was he drove a wrc spec skoda rally car a few days earlier. and he is driving a car to get by with everyday life also. i just want to share the news with you guys about kubica, as it is quite obsure. apparently the latest leg break is now pretty much healed, and the only thing in his rehabilitation is that damn annoying limp right hand! which is still making progress - on a polish website there was an interview with 2 people that recently met kubica, and they say he shook their hand normally with his right hand., but know one knows if it will fully regain function, or 80% or 60%. My father had a work accident 30 years ago in poland, and they sowed up his hand. it took him 2 years to recover strength in it, but only to about 70%, but it was a quick patch up operation, kubicas operation with micro surgery gives him much more hope for full recovery, but is taking time like all such injuries.

one positive i find, is all obscure photos i have seen of kubica (first with casts on legs and walking stick, then cast just on right arm, now no cast anywhere) he seems in good spirit and smiling. he has had 9 or 10 operations in total, but it is coming in place now for him, just waiting on the nerve regrowth in right hand ( split between the fingers through the hand and wrist, and most people would have had an amputation if they couldnt afford the microsurgery).

Best of luck to him, i find it a nice story, if he comes back to f1 it will be one of the biggest comebacks ever from injury.

also i dont think he needs 100% strength in right hand to drive an f1 car, we have seen onboards of drivers going 1 handed through turns, especially in the old days when they had the right hand changing manual gears. these days it would be easier with paddle shifting, even if they made both paddles on the left for kubica.

my father drives cars, saws timber, plays a piano, does everything anyone else does, and he says he has long forgotten he only has about 70% strength in his right hand.

but we will wait and see, i am not expecting anything anymore, i am just hoping for the best for him, and seeing him in these new photos makes me happy that he looks healthy and normal.

It's not so much the physical strength in the hands that concerns me (Michael Schumacher admits that steering in your average rental kart is heavier and more pyhsical in the arm/wrist than in F1), it's the dexterity that's required. It's not holding onto a steering wheel.. it's operating the gear and clutch paddles, operating the various dials and switches that need to be done really quickly and without a second thought. This is the thing i fear will be affected.

If Zanardi could drive an adapted car without use of any lower legs, then this is the perfect time to showcase 'cutting edge technology' at this 'pinnacle or sporting innovation'.

Build a car that complements his injuries.


Jenson drives it like he owns it; Lewis drives it like he stole it

I doubt it's of any real significance, but he's clearly holding the wheel in his right hand in a very different manner to that of his left hand.

yup, i noticed that too gav, might be some paranoid vision as we are looking to anything unusual coming from that hand to appear but still..

i think about the Zanardi thing, it's quite a different challenge for Kubica to drive an F1 car properly if he doesn't make a ful complete recovery..

the "one hand" drivers taking corners we've seen are usualy on fast flat out corners, wide corners, but on slow and medum corners is both hands that give you the "feel" and precision and the couple of tenths difference... if you loose that you loose not just a few tenths but probaby a few seconds