Kubica: Nearly impossible for Williams to profit from crazy Baku race

Robert Kubica says Williams remains so far off the pace of the rest of the 2019 Formula 1 grid that it would struggle to take advantage of an chaotic Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Baku was one of just two races in which Williams managed to score points at during a tough 2018 campaign as former driver Lance Stroll capitalised on an unpredictable event last year to finish eighth.

Despite the race serving up a number of thrills and spills in the last two years - with Williams also recording a podium finish in 2017 - Kubica does not expect the British squad to be in a position to profit on any potential misfortune for its rivals this weekend.

“Baku showed already in the past that anything is possible but I think we are too far off from the pack to think about it,” Kubica admitted.

“Last year I think we were much closer to the others than we are this year, at least looking at our first three races.

“So from one point yes everything can happen here, from the other probably from what we have seen in the first three races I would say it would be very difficult, or nearly impossible.”

Asked if he is still able to have fun despite being so far off the pace, Kubica said: “Of course it would be nicer to race with more drivers and actually to be closer to the pack and to have proper fights.

“Still I did say something after Australia similar that I will never thought about it but in the end I did enjoy it, still better and nicer to drive F1 car than watching it on the television.

“From one side would be nicer to have more performance but still you can have fun of doing things, of going through things that most of the feelings and the things what are happening now it didn’t happen for many years.

“So it’s nice to get these feelings, nice to get this special emotions and special feelings, which you will never get them staying at home.”

On top of Williams’ ongoing performance struggles, Kubica will have to learn the difficult Baku City Circuit from scratch this weekend as he prepares for his first street race since the 2010 Singapore Grand Prix.

“It’s a brand new track for me, I did a couple of laps on the simulator but unfortunately our track on the simulator is not representative to what is reality,” he explained.

“So will be my first approach tomorrow. I will expect a higher, let’s say, level of alert in the beginning of the session which is normally, especially when you join for the first time a street circuit.

“And I’m looking forward because it will be nearly nine years my time on a street circuit after 2010 Singapore.

“It has always in the past been a special feeling to drive close to the walls, is a bit different driving, from what I can see, from outside the Baku street circuit looks pretty simple in many places.

“But on the other hand it is quite complicated in three or four places so yeah, we will have to go through them and I think there is no need to think too much about it, just go there and discover what will happen.

“We’ll have to see how our car behaves here. Hopefully will be better than it was at the beginning of the year but I think we cannot expect anything spectacular.”

Additional reporting by Julianne Cerasoli.