F1: 5 Reasons why Robert Kubica will succeed at Williams

Robert Kubica's return to Formula 1 is nothing short of an incredible achievement, and something that many fans thought they'd never see. Kubica was one of the most talented drivers on the grid during his (to date) most recent season of F1 racing in 2010 before a rallying accident seemingly curtailed his career.

The Polish driver has since competed in WRC, GT3 and LMP1, but Formula 1 has always been his ultimate goal. He even had a test in a Formula E car with the intent of competing in the all-electric series, although this failed to amount to more.

After being the Williams' test driver in 2018, he steps up to become a full-time driver this year and here are five reasons why Kubica will have success at the team.

#1 He's comfortable in the Williams

Kubica tested for his old team Renault in 2017, but it wasn't until 2018 that he had a more regular role. He was linked with the second Williams seat for 2018, but Sergey Sirotkin beat him to the role. However, the tables have now been turned.

In 2019, he steps up to being a full-time driver for the British team alongside Mercedes' youngster George Russell. Kubica has tested at Barcelona, Budapest and Abu Dhabi, so he's had plenty of track time with the FW41.

With the regulations being relatively unchanged from last year, the testing he carried out in the 2018 car (not to mention that he tested with the new front wing in Hungary) should be enough to shake off the majority of his rustiness. Of course, testing is one thing, racing is another, and how sharp he'll be in wheel-to-wheel situations is yet to be seen. But racing is racing, you don't lose your instincts easily.

#2 Immediate success last time

It took just three races for Kubica to stand on the F1 podium

After Jacques Villeneuve was axed part-way through the 2006 season, Robert Kubica became BMW Sauber's second driver for the remainder of the year. Kubica hadn't scored any points in either of his first two races, but that was about to change in spectacular style in Italy.

The Krakow native lined up P6 on the grid, but made a lightning getaway, making up to third by the second chicane. Despite leading for a time, Kubica wasn't flustered, the rookie was driving with the consistency and prowess of a seasoned veteran.

He even held off eventual champion Fernando Alonso for a time, but the Pole would regain the place after Alonso's retirement. In the end, Kubica crossed the line third and stood on the podium after just three races under his belt. It was the first of 12 podiums to date for the Polish driver, if Williams make a drastically better car in the coming years, he could make it 13 before he retires.

#3 He's a Grand Prix winner

It happened over ten years ago, but Kubica is not only the sole Pole to drive in Formula 1, but he's also the only man from Poland to win an F1 race. In 2007, Kubica had a horrific crash at the Canadian Grand Prix, and he was lucky to escape with relatively minor injuries, but a year later at the same event, he'd score Sauber's only win to date.

Sauber had produced one of the best cars for the 2008 season, but Kubica qualifying in second was still a very impressive feat. When the race began on Sunday, Kubica held his second place but he couldn't catch leader Lewis Hamilton.

Adrian Sutil's retirement would greatly shake up the order, as a bizarre pit-lane incident meant that both Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen would retire. Despite this, Nick Heidfeld (Kubica's teammate) would lead the race after the restart but Kubica pulled off a great pass on the German after the first pit-stops.

Despite the track surface breaking up throughout the race, Kubica didn't put a wheel wrong all of Sunday, he kept his cool on a baking hot day in Montreal to stun the F1 world with this victory. He's one of just seven drivers on the 2019 grid to have a won a race in the pinnacle of motorsport.

#4 Experience

Kubica stood on the podium three times in 2010, including a podium in Monaco

With 76 Grand Prix starts between 2006 and 2010, Kubica is an experienced driver, not to mention his time racing in other series. He's 34 years old now, which may seem a bit on the elderly side, but that's the same age as Hamilton and the Englishman is currently in the form of his life.

Of the current drivers, only Raikkonen is older than Kubica and in terms of races competed in, he's around midtable, despite the much longer seasons in recent years.

To expect Kubica to hit the ground running and get good results immediately is unrealistic, however, as the old saying goes, form is temporary, class is permanent. Given what we've seen from him in an F1 car so far, there's a definite cause for optimism.

Kubica could've already been a world champion if his BMW team kept developing their car to the end of 2008, one of the worst decisions in recent times.

Many great drivers have come back from hiatus and not been the same force as they once were, but the fire is still burning inside Kubica, that's clear to see from his interviews.

#5 He out-paced Williams' 2018 drivers

Lance Stroll was slower than Kubica in the same test in 2018

This one is a bit divisive, but hear me out. As mentioned in number 1, Kubica has competed in three tests for Williams during 2018, tests where full-time drivers Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin also at times competed in.

Sirotkin did post faster times than Kubica, but the Pole was faster than Stroll. Let's address the elephant in the room, testing times are far from the be-all and end-all when it comes to both the pace of the drivers and the cars.

Differing fuel loads, engine modes, track conditions and tyre compounds mean that lap times are notoriously unreliable. However, the quick times by Kubica are undeniably a good sign. Indeed, he backed this up by going second fastest during day two of the Hungary tests in the slowest car on the grid and on the FW41's worst circuits.

The only way to know for sure how fast Kubica is to wait until Australia, but the signs are good, let's hope that Williams make a much better car in 2019 so that he can score regular points.

How do you think Kubica will get on in 2019? Let us know in the comments below!

Edited by Victor R. Lopez M.