Haas could offer Kubica race seat for 2021?
Haas team boss Gunther Steiner says he remains very keen to sign up Robert Kubica for 2020 and beyond.
Amid rumours the departing Williams driver might accept a development driver role for 2020, Kubica was linked with Haas and Racing Point.
But the Pole said in Austin that his situation had suddenly become "more complicated, but it also means that I have interesting options".
One rumour is that Ferrari sees the 34-year-old as an ideal development driver not just for the works Maranello team, but also for Alfa Romeo.
The complication could be that Haas, while powered and supported technically by Ferrari, might not be so keen on sharing Kubica with the other teams.
And so yet another rumour is that Kubica might serve as Haas' exclusive development driver in 2020 before potentially being offered a race seat for 2021.
"I really want to bring Robert to us, but I have to offer him something that will be interesting to him. Also in the context of the future," Haas boss Steiner told Polish sports broadcaster TVP.
He added that it is "no secret" that Haas is in talks with Kubica about serving as a "test and simulator driver" next year.
"We would love Kubica to help us develop the car," Steiner admitted. "We know he is really good at that because he worked with several of our engineers from his time at Renault.
"Everyone appreciates his skills very highly," he said.
"I am negotiating with Kubica and I hope to welcome him on board soon," Steiner added. "The negotiations are very complex because there is much to determine and we have to be his best option.
"I hope to announce the name of our third driver soon, but I would say it depends more on the driver than on us at the moment."
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Enough - Does Kubica's agent write this dumb stories. A once brilliant driver now an aging one flops at Williams in 2019. There's no way he's a potential driver at HAAS for 2021.
MOVE ON f1-fansite or should I say f1-Kubicasite
well, considering that I heard tens of times "there's no way he'll be ever able to drive any, even road car..." and he won WRC-2 championship in his debut season or "there's no way he'll be back in Formula 1 racing..." and he just does actually, you might want to hold on that for at least a while. Don't you think that maybe he's not just a done trash-driver if there're few interested parties to hire a guy after all...? And skipping sponsorship story - Maranello does not look like looking for the money, do they...?
Just sayin'... Cheers.
Fabrizzio, agreed that KUB has excellent value as a development driver and would be a good addition to Haas but I'm not sure if he is full-time driver material two years from now. Quoting Papa Hemingway, "Isn't it pretty to think so?"
A real question is if Steiner can stay in Haas after 2020 if that season will be same as this one. I cannot imagine Mr. Haas is happy with the need of scrapping 2019 car concept
Do not like to say that, but also believe that his time is long pass over as an F1 driver. As to be a "test and simulator driver", seams ok. I believe that was Ferrari that had a similar problem in the end of 90's or start of 2000's, when its reserve (and development) driver had to step up to the race seat for "few" races, and was so out on the picture...