We already know that Robert Kubica is amongst the finalists for a 2018 seat at Williams, with competing drivers including Felipe Massa, Marcus Ericsson, and Jolyon Palmer in consideration. With a private test session for Kubica in the works, and some time in Williams' simulator under his belt, the Pole's odds of a return looked to be escalating, but some news from Motorsport Italy has his future in Formula 1 looking questionable again.
As it turns out, Lawrence Stroll, the father of the Williams racing team's No. 2 driver Lance Stroll, and the financial backing behind his motorsport career, isn't too comfortable with the idea of the renowned Robert Kubica getting a seat alongside Lance in 2018.
Lawrence Stroll is reportedly pressuring Williams to choose to retain Felipe Massa next year, or choose Paul di Resta, who filled in for Massa at the Hungarian Grand Prix when the Brazilian was prevented from racing by an illness. One would presume he considers Kubica too tough an opponent for his son, whom, despite a pair of remarkable results in Baku and Italy, has been described as the "worst rookie ever" by Canadian Formula 1 champion Jacques "Foolin' Around" Villeneuve.
To make matters worse, Reuters' Formula 1 correspondent Alan Baldwin photographed the helicopter of Jonathan Palmer—the wealthy father of Jolyon Palmer—on the helipad outside Williams' headquarters in Grove in the U.K. on Thursday.
Guess who landed his helicopter at Grove today? @WilliamsRacing pic.twitter.com/wC3ebFntyq
— Alan Baldwin (@alanbaldwinf1) September 21, 2017
Palmer is not one of Williams' most desired drivers, however, so the presence of Jolyon's father, trying to buy his son a race seat for 2018, cannot be considered serious competition for drivers like Kubica. Williams already has one wealthy (and potentially incompetent) pay driver; they don't need another.
The pressure Lawrence Stroll is exerting on Williams is at least moderately worrying for Kubica fans, though. On one hand, the money flowing into the team as a result of the seat bought by Stroll family money means that Lawrence may have some influence on the team, but on the other, his sway may be limited by the fact that the Strolls can be considered a customer of the team, buying a seat that could otherwise be occupied by a better driver. We speculate there isn't much Lawrence can do to twist Williams' arm away from hiring Kubica; if he were to threaten to pull money from the team, they'd drop Lance for another one of their drivers lined up for a seat. Massa, di Resta, Ericsson, Wehrlein, Palmer...all would be ready to pounce on the opening.
The Stroll family may have some influence, but they ought to keep in mind that despite Lance's two strong performances this year, he's still a pay driver, and hasn't showcased the same results that he displayed in his second year of Euro F3, in 2016.
There is, at least of now, little reason to believe that Kubica will be dropped due to pressure from the Stroll family. Should we hear anything from Massa, or any of the other drivers gunning for Williams' second seat, the dominoes will begin to fall.