Williams Racing‘s Robert Kubica is expecting a large Polish contingent to be in attendance at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the site of his Formula 1 début 13 years ago.
Kubica replaced the injured Jacques Villeneuve at BMW Sauber in the 2006 race and finished an impressive seventh, but was disqualified for his car being 2kg underweight; the Pole replaced Villeneuve on a full-time contract the following race.
The 2017 in-season test at the Hungaroring also marked Kubica’s return to official F1 action with the Renault F1 Team, after his near-fatal 2011 rally accident.
The Hungarian race was also the first F1 event Kubica saw in the flesh in 1997, at the age of 12, and the potential for a healthy Polish support only adds to the emotional ties the grand prix holds.
“Hungary is the closest event to a home race for me and so even though it’s not in Poland, I expect a lot of Polish fans to attend,” said Kubica.
“I made my Formula 1 debut at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix and it was the first Formula 1 race I attended when I was 12 years old in 1997.”
Williams brought an upgraded package to the German Grand Prix last weekend, and Kubica was rewarded with a solitary point after a chaotic race – Alfa Romeo Racing‘s Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi were lumbered with post-race time penalties and lost their seventh and eighth places.
The point was Williams’ first of a very trying 2019 season, and Kubica’s first for nearly nine years, but the pace in comparison to the rest of the field showed little improvement.
Hungary’s chassis-dependent layout may bring further pain to Kubica and Williams, and the 34-year-old expressed his appreciation to the his and the team’s fans for the continued support.
“There a lot of things that I can relate to with Hungary, so let’s hope for a good weekend,” Kubica added.
“Finally, I would like to thank the fans for their support during this difficult period.”
