“It's a fairytale town, isn't it? How's a fairytale town not somebody's f***ing thing? All that beautiful f***ing fairytale stuff, how can that not be somebody's f***ing thing, eh?”
Or so rails hitman boss Harry, played by Ralph Fiennes, in the 2008 black comedy cult film In Bruges, perplexed as to how Colin Farrell’s useless-but-immorally moral hitman Ray can loathe the picturesque Belgian town in which the film is set.
Robert Kubica will return to a Formula 1 race seat with Williams in 2019, ending an absence of eight years that was triggered by a grossly unfortunate life-changing rally accident, resulting in lengthy rehabilitation and a long-path back to the championship.
Since publicly mounting a comeback mid-2017 his journey has been tracked meticulously, his every move commented upon; questions asked, some answered. Some questioned as to why there was so much interest in a 33-year-old with a movement restriction out of single-seater racing since 2010, others riposted by regarding the Pole as a near-deity, a World Champion robbed of his destiny, using how highly he was respected by contemporaries – such as Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg – as proof of his talent. The reality, as ever, was probably somewhere in the middle. But the story was compelling, the narrative inescapably attractive. No-one ever expected Kubica to be back in Formula 1. And there he was, firstly settling into Renault’s current-spec car before trying out a Williams for size.
Sergey Sirotkin ultimately captured the seat, impressing Williams with his approach and speed – assisted by a healthy budget – but the fairytale did not end, as Kubica accepted a reserve role. Sirotkin received unfair criticism in some quarters for being Not Robert Kubica and has acquitted himself well during a challenging 2018 campaign, in which Williams has plummeted to the back of the grid and undertaken some much-needed self-reflection. But while there has been a smattering of highlights, and his name would be in a loftier position in the standings with better equipment, there has been little to suggest that Sirotkin is a champion-in-waiting. He is a polite and deeply analytical chap who can consider himself unfortunate for his Formula 1 season to coincide with Williams’ regression, but a career in another category seems more appropriate.
Enter Kubica.
He is joining a team striving to recover from its lowest ebb and is paired with a driver with a strong reputation and backing from the current World Champions. One only need look at the previous F2/GP2 champions to realise that this young crop of talent are the real deal – just as Hamilton, Rosberg and Kubica were in the mid-2000s. It is going to be a challenge? Yes. But you can be damn sure Kubica will be up for it. Was there a better option for Williams? Maybe Sirotkin can stake a claim, and Esteban Ocon will surely raise a hand, but he at least is deeply ensconced within Mercedes’ camp and still has a bright future.
Kubica is unlikely to win a World Championship, nor a race, while a podium return seems improbable; even points will be a lofty target at first, and that’s with half of the field getting them on a Sunday. But does it really matter? In the grand scheme of the stopwatch, the pure hard results, and the statistics, then yes. It does. But outside of the black-and-white there is a world of grey areas in which most sports fans live. For the wow moments that take your breath away. The compelling stories. The heroes and the villains. Sport is utterly fantastic, a weekly (or even daily) drama that is captivating, but whose ethics and morals have been slowly drained away by the money-grabbers whose ultimate insult is to feign due diligence and care of history while simultaneously lining the pockets of the pencil-pushers, the yes-men executives and the oligarchs. Liberty Media, within the landscape of worldwide sport, have been thoughtful owners – but the warning signs are there. Sport is a business. Business deals in numbers and profit margins. Business does not deal in fairy-tales.
And this is why Kubica’s return is so welcomed. Forget, for one moment, any element of cynicism or doubt. Cast aside the snide comments and the negative remarks. Maybe it won’t pan out. Perhaps it will. Who knows. But for now it is, to all intents and purposes, a fairytale. And after all, that beautiful f***ing fairytale stuff, how can that not be somebody's f***ing thing, eh?
