Robert Kubica – F1 2011’s Missing Ingredient

Amid all the action of the first three races of the season it’s easy to forget that the grid is currently bereft of arguably one of its brightest talents. Robert Kubica was released from hospital last weekend after over two months recuperating from a horrifying rally crash in February.

The rights and wrongs of his participation in the rally have been debated at length, particularly by Eddie Jordan with anyone who will listen (which unsurprisingly isn’t many people), who has argued that it was madness to allow Kubica anywhere near a rally car.

However, short of drivers being cryogenically frozen for the winter and between races, there’s little to prevent accidents from happening, whether on a rally stage, on the road or when training (Mark Webber can attest to that).

The important thing is that Kubica appears to be on the mend, although it will be much later in the year before decisions can be made about his future participation in F1. But what exactly are we missing in the meantime?

Well, Kubica first burst onto the scene in 2006 as a mid-season replacement for Jacques Villeneuve at BMW Sauber. He instantly impressed with his speed and finished on the podium in only his third race, at Monza, which marked him out as a man to watch.

2007 was most remembered for his spectacular crash in Canada – how ironic that the Pole escaped unscathed from probably the biggest crash of the last decade, but has now been injured so seriously away from F1.

Success came his way in 2008 – he led the championship after securing a brilliant maiden win in Canada, but then BMW Sauber dropped away from the ultimate pace as the team decided to concentrate on 2009, much to Robert’s annoyance. This proved even more frustrating given how much of a let down 2009 became, and in the wake of average performances BMW pulled out of the sport. 

Kubica sought refuge at Renault, and what an inspired decision that turned out to be. He qualified in the top 10 for all bar the last race of the season, and managed three podium finishes with a car which was only the fourth or fifth best in the field.

In addition, he could perhaps have won the Japanese Grand Prix had his rear wheel not parted company with the rest of his car (thankfully during a safety car period rather than at full racing speed). He regularly outqualified and outraced the likes of Jenson Button and Felipe Massa, despite their superior equipment, and unsurprisingly blew away his inexperienced team mate Vitaly Petrov.

The Pole looked set for an even better 2011, having set the fastest time during pre-season testing at Valencia, before disaster struck. Speculation about how he would have got on in the first three races of the season is largely academic, but given that Petrov and Heidfeld have managed a podium apiece, one would have expected Kubica to have achieved even more.

As well as proving popular among F1 fans all around the world due to his outstanding speed and overtaking prowess, Kubica has also succeeded in mobilising an entire country’s support around him. As the first, and so far only, Formula 1 driver from Poland, Kubica can count on the undivided support of his countrymen, and has clearly captured the nation’s imagination from the early stages of his F1 career.

In early 2007 I remember discussing him with a Polish acquaintance who corrected my pronunciation of his name (commentators at the time were still undecided between ‘Kubika’ and ‘Kubitza’) and waxed lyrical about his talents.

They were by no means an F1 fan, but were more than aware of Robert’s existence despite the fact that he had only been in F1 since mid-2006. Ask the average Scotsman at the end of this year how much they know about Paul Di Resta, for example, and the response would probably be somewhat different (and limited).

The questions now are can Kubica recover and return to F1, and if so will he be the driver he was before the crash? Drivers have recovered from big accidents before; most recently Felipe Massa, who sustained head injuries in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2009.

However, Kubica’s injuries are different, in that, as well as numerous broken bones in his elbow, leg and shoulder, his right hand bore the brunt of the accident and was partially severed. The nature of this injury is such that only a complete recovery will allow him to withstand the physical demands of driving a Formula 1 car at speed.

The most similar F1 driver injury in recent times to that which Kubica has suffered befell Italian Alessandro Nannini in 1990. There are uncanny parallels between Nannini and Kubica, both in terms of their injuries and relative career statistics.

Nannini was driving for the Benetton team (now Renault of course) when he was involved in a helicopter crash which severed his right forearm. At the time of his accident, he had driven in 76 Grand Prix (the same number as Kubica) and won once (as has Kubica).

However, even though Nannini later enjoyed success in touring cars he was never able to return to Formula 1, having only recovered partial use of his arm. Let us hope that the similarities between Kubica and Nannini’s circumstances end with a return to the track for Robert in the not-too-distant future. Despite all the excitement on track this season, Formula 1 is a poorer place without him. 

Malaysian GP Driver Ratings

Vettel – 9

Another almost-perfect weekend. Brilliant qualifying lap gave the German pole, and he produced a commanding drive in the race in a car that appears to still be the class of the field, despite KERS problems.

Webber – 7

Couldn’t quite eke out the tenths needed to pip his team mate and Hamilton in qualifying. KERS problems hampered his start and race, but he recovered well to score decent points.

Hamilton – 6

Fabulous qualifying lap still wasn’t enough for pole. Stuck behind Heidfeld for first stint, then suffered botched pit stop and wore out tyres in closing stages. Slightly over-aggressive against Alonso, but 20 second penalty was a little harsh.

Button – 8

Fourth of the four quickest cars in qualifying. Drove a good, consistent race to 2nd, benefiting from Hamilton’s slow pit stop and collision with Alonso. Let the Spaniard through too easily himself though.

Alonso – 6

Eight tenths off the pace in qualifying; worrying as it looked like he got the most out of the car. Race was going well before Hamilton collision, for which he was more to blame than the Briton.

Massa – 7

A decent weekend for Massa, who was respectably close to Alonso throughout qualifying and raced solidly to beat his team mate home. Wasn't forced by team to let Alonso through either, which will help his confidence.

Schumacher – 7

A better performance from the German legend, although he missed Q2 once again. Looked racy on Sunday and picked up two points for 9th. He will be concerned by Mercedes’ lack of pace though.

Rosberg – 5

One of Rosberg’s poorest weekends since joining Mercedes. Made Q3, but that was as good as it got. Thoroughly anonymous come the race, struggling to 12th behind both similarly-powered Force Indias.

Heidfeld – 9

Much improved performance after Australia woes. Outqualified Petrov and made stunning start, before dropping back after first pit stop. Elevated to podium by Alonso-Hamilton clash, and also fended off Webber well in closing stages.

Petrov – 6

Solid qualification and great start put the Russian in with a chance of good points, but undid all his hard work with late-race off which launched the car and broke steering column. Blamed marbles, but it was the same conditions for everyone.

Barrichello – 6

Struggled to get through Q1 and lined up 15th for race, which didn’t last long. Assaulted by Sutil on opening lap just after pit entrance and lost lap recovering to pits with puncture. Then slogged round until lap 22 retirement.

Maldonado – 5

Knocked out in Q1, only three-tenths quicker than Lotuses, after embarrassing crash entering pits on Friday. Energetic battle with Perez at start of race, but managed just 8 laps before mechanical problems hit.

Sutil – 6

Outqualified by Di Resta again after a mis-shift in Q2. Hit Barrichello at start necessitating an extra trip to the pits. Did well to recover and finish just behind Di Resta, but team mate’s form is putting him under pressure.

Di Resta – 8

Another great drive from the rookie, who spent much of the race fighting with Michael Schumacher of all people. Eventually ended up behind the German, but drove maturely and sensibly and richly deserved his point.

Kobayashi – 8

An excellent performance all weekend from the Japanese driver, who is starting to look like the real deal. Made it to Q3 and was towards the front for the whole race, including a fabulous dice with Webber in the opening laps.

Perez – 6

Came crashing back down to earth after his Albert Park heroics. Still looked quick at times, but only 16th on grid. Started race well and could have perhaps nicked a point, but then forced to retire after car struck by debris.

Buemi – 7

Outqualified Alguersuari again, but just missed Q3. Race compromised by speeding in the pit lane, for which he was harshly awarded a stop-and-go penalty. Still beat his team mate home though.

Alguersuari – 5

Just behind Buemi in qualifying, but struggled to 14^th in the race after a thoroughly anonymous performance, only just ahead of Kovalainen, apparently suffering from excessive tyre wear.

Kovalainen – 8

A breakthrough weekend for Lotus, spearheaded by the Finn, who was just four tenths off Maldonado in Q1. Finished the race on the tail of Alguersuari’s Toro Rosso after trouble-free run.

Trulli – 6

Fractionally behind his team mate in qualifying, but respectably close to the midfield pack. Spent race battling with Glock, rather than chasing the midfield as Kovalainen did, before clutch expired.

Glock – 6

Didn’t make much of an impression all weekend. Four tenths quicker than D’Ambrosio in qualifying, as expected, but miles off the pace of Lotus and the midfield runners, and not far ahead of the HRTs. At least he finished.

D’Ambrosio – 6

Lost a lot of track time on Friday after suspension failure. Nevertheless made the grid and drove a decent race, hanging on to Glock’s tail and setting a quicker fastest race lap before retiring due to hitting a kerb, which cut the engine.

Liuzzi – 7

Brilliant qualifying performance to get within a second of the Virgins. The race was more of a struggle, but drove sensibly to stay out of the way of the leaders and maintain a reasonable pace before being withdrawn for safety reasons.

Karthikeyan – 5

It can’t be easy for a driver to adapt to single seaters again after racing NASCAR Trucks, and the Indian's struggles prove it. A second off Liuzzi in qualifying, his race didn’t last long before he was withdrawn due to rising water temperatures.

Malaysian GP Race Report

It was an interesting and exciting Malaysian Grand Prix, despite the domination of Sebastien Vettel at the front. Few would have predicted Jenson Button and Nick Heidfeld joining him on the podium, or that Lewis Hamilton would finish only 8th having started from the front row. 

Given how tight qualifying was Hamilton could easily have taken pole, but was beaten by a last gasp Vettel flyer. The two McLarens and two Red Bulls were separated by only 0.3 seconds but behind them things looked ominous for Ferrari, with Fernando Alonso almost a second off the pace. Both Renault drivers did well to get into the top 10, and Pastor Maldonado was the Q1 casualty from the established teams. Otherwise, the main talking points were improved form for Lotus, who got within half a second of Q2 on merit, and (miracle of miracles) both HRTs actually qualifying for the race!

The start was a partial disaster for Red Bull – Vettel pulled away in the lead, despite a challenge from the fast-starting Heidfeld’s Renault, but Mark Webber’s KERS did not function and this left him back in 9th. Red Bull must wonder at the wisdom of going their own way with KERS (i.e. not adopting the Renault system), especially since the ‘works’ Renault cars appear to be the class of the field off the line, as has often been the case in the past 10 seasons or so. 

Heidfeld maintained 2nd until his first pit stop, with a frustrated Hamilton unable to pass the German despite using his DRS and KERS devices. Further back, Webber and Kamui Kobayashi engaged in an energetic battle, the cars swapping places once or twice a lap (albeit with some DRS assistance), and Williams’ nightmare weekend was already over with both cars out by lap 22.

After the first pit stops, the race settled down somewhat, although Alonso pulled off a great move on Jenson Button while the Briton was seemingly asleep. But then Vettel started to experience similar KERS problems to team mate Webber, sparking brief hopes of a battle for the lead. It was not to be however, and instead 2nd placed Hamilton started to drop back into the clutches of Button, with Jenson taking the place after Hamilton suffered a botched pit stop. 

Alonso then closed drastically on Hamilton but couldn’t get through, mainly because the Ferrari’s moveable wing wasn’t functioning. The Spaniard soon did manage to make some wing adjustments, but unfortunately these were to his front wing, part of which broke off after a rather clumsy bit of driving led to a brush against the back of Hamilton’s rear tyre, necessitating a trip to the pits for both drivers. Alonso took the lion’s share of the blame for misjudging his closing speed, although Hamilton did edge across the track slightly at the moment of impact. This, combined with earlier weaving from the Briton, meant that Hamilton, as well as Alonso, was given a 20 second post-race penalty – a slightly harsh judgement in Hamilton’s case since it cost him a further position to Kobayashi at race end.

This incident allowed Heidfeld back up to 3rd, although Renault were not entirely happy as Vitaly Petrov then reverted to his 2010 ways by running off the track and launching his car over a bump on the infield. The resulting impact broke the steering column, and the hapless Russian held the severed steering wheel as his car careened into a braking marker, taking the unofficial ‘Taki Inoue* Tribute Comedy Moment of the Race’ trophy (sadly only awarded in my imagination) in the process. 

As a result, Kobayashi and Michael Schumacher moved up and Paul di Resta picked up a well deserved point. At the front it was plain sailing for Vettel though, despite his KERS difficulties, and although Button closed up at the end he appeared to have everything under control. The opposition are getting closer though, which bodes well for China next weekend and the start of the European season at Istanbul Park in May.

* Unaware of the existence of Taki ‘In the Way’? Peruse the brilliant F1 Rejects website and see this video for details of the great man’s exploits!

Australian GP Driver Ratings

Okay, just a quick note about how this all works. Basically, after each race, I will give each race driver who took part in the weekend a rating out of 10, based on their qualifying and race performances. I will take quality of equipment into account, so if (for example) a Ferrari driver finishes 6^th, they are less likely to get a high rating than if a Force India driver did the same. The plan is, at the end of the season, to add up these ratings and come up with a Pits Take 2011 Driver of the Year. In addition, I think rating each driver’s performance is a good way of assessing the race as a whole without missing out the smaller stories and races within races which make Formula 1 such a great spectacle. Right, on to the ratings…

Vettel – 10

A superb performance, picking up where he left off last season. Nearly a second ahead in qualifying, the German dominated the race. Assertive and important mid race pass on out-of sequence Button too.

Webber – 6

Slower than Vettel all weekend, by a big margin, and still hasn’t broken his Albert Park jinx. 3 stops wasn’t the way to go in the race and ended up a disappointing and bewildered 5th.

Hamilton – 9

A great start to the season and a vast improvement on testing form. Did very well to qualify on front row and raced impressively despite floor damage to keep Vettel honest and score important points for 2^nd.

Button – 6

Spent ages stuck behind a slower Massa, and then foolishly cut chicane to earn drive through penalty. Recovered well generally, but put up weak resistance to Vettel when off-sequence in middle of race.

Alonso – 8

Gave his all in qualifying, but couldn’t quite get among McLarens. Raced well after poor start and showed encouraging race pace, but will be concerned about one-lap performance compared to Red Bull.

Massa – 5

Poor qualifying performance relative to his team mate and a messy race. Resisted Button well early on, but rather embarrassingly finished behind both Ferrari-powered Saubers (pre-penalties).

Rosberg – 6

Got into Q3 at the expense of his team mate, and was running solidly in the points before being taken out by an overly-optimistic Barrichello lunge. Never looked likely to score big points though.

Schumacher – 5

Carried on where he left off in 2010 by missing Q3, getting involved in a midfield fracas (with Alguersuari), damaging car and then retiring with accident damage. Where’s the real Michael Schumacher?

Heidfeld – 3

An extremely disappointing weekend. Struggled for one lap pace and embarrassingly eliminated in Q1. Damage from first-lap incident provides some mitigation for sluggish race to 12th, but given Renault’s veritable army of reserve drivers, needs to improve fast.

Petrov – 10

My pick for driver of the weekend. Appeared to handle the pressure caused by the absence of Kubica with ease. Made a cracking start which formed the basis of what became a great drive onto the podium.

Barrichello – 4

A very poor weekend for the veteran, who looked more like a rookie at times. Error in qualifying saw him stuck in the gravel; he then visited the same gravel trap in the race before taking out himself and an innocent Rosberg.

Maldonado – 6

Didn’t do much wrong on his debut, but equally didn’t set the world alight. Outqualified Barrichello after the Brazilian’s error, but unable to make much of an impact in the race before mechanical problems intervened.

Sutil – 7

DRS-related mishap in Q2 put him behind team mate Di Resta in qualifying. Solid race performance, but struggled to get ahead of his team mate. Nevertheless picked up points after both Saubers DQ’d.

Di Resta – 8

Very solid debut from the Scotsman, who belied his rookie status by outqualifying Sutil and matching the German in the race before team orders intervened. Picked up a point in wake of Sauber’s misfortune.

Kobayashi – 8

Excellent qualifying performance saw the Japanese never outside the top 10 in all three sessions. Less combative in the race than usual, but drove maturely to 8^th before the stewards intervened.

Perez – 9

A fabulous debut. Unlucky to miss out on Q3, but starred in the race by maturely perserving his tyres and making only one pit stop. Cruelly robbed of points finish by a technical infringement, but he made his mark.

Buemi – 7

Did very well to get to Q3, but used up all his soft tyres in doing so. Solid race; couldn’t really avoid being passed by Massa but put up a good fight, showed decent turn of pace, and picked up 4 useful points.

Alguersuari – 6

Underachieved in qualifying and the race after an encouraging practice. Buemi beat him to a spot in Q3, and Alguersuari responded by running into his team mate (and Schumacher) on the first lap! Resultant damage ruined his chances.

Kovalainen – 6

Outqualified Trulli, but didn’t make much of an impression in the race before a water leak ended things prematurely. The Finn will be worried about the bigger-than-expected gap to the established teams.

Trulli – 6

Drove a solid race after an unspectacular qualifying to wind up 13^th. Still two laps down on the leaders though, and a lap off the points. Seems to be déjà vue from 2010, both for team and Trulli.

Karthikeyan – No rating

Impossible to really rate the HRT drivers since they did next to no running. Karthikeyan in particular was disadvantaged, and although he was slower than Liuzzi and failed to qualify he can’t really be blamed.

Liuzzi – No rating

Did a decent job in qualifying to stay out of the way of the other runners while effectively shaking down the new HRT. Stayed positive in wake of team’s problems, but deep down he must wonder what he has let himself in for…

Glock – 6

The German performed miracles in qualifying to get the Virgin within half a second of the Lotuses, but not able to show the same pace in race and a wheel problem meant he was not classified. Negative pre and post race comments let slip his frustrations.

D’Ambrosio – 7

A decent debut for the Belgian, who kept his cool in qualifying to scrape under the 107% limit. Brought the car home reliably in the race (albeit 2 laps behind the rest) which is exactly what the team needed.