Williams' Kubica set for one final F1 bow in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi - Now, Kubica could mix DTM European tour car series with another F1 support role with Racing Point or Haas.

Williams' Robert Kubica will enter his last Formula One race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and after years of grind on the track, he remains undecided on his future.
Starting with Sauber from 2006, Kubica - the first and only Polish driver to compete in F1 - finished on the podium in only his third start. But a life-threatening injury in 2011 marred his career. The then Renault driver was set to join Ferrari in 2012 but that move wasn't meant to be. Kubica, however, made a miraculous return last season but couldn't really find his feet at Williams. He ends his F1 career with a sole win, 12 podiums from 96 starts.
Now, Kubica could mix DTM European tour car series with another F1 support role with Racing Point or Haas.
"The decision has been taken. I don't want to go too much into the details. My racing programme is 100 per cent up to me. My F1 role, of course there is second part, which is (sponsor PKN) Orlen. They would like to stay in F1 and we want to see if we can match everything together as it would be beneficial for everyone. So sometimes it takes more time than only my decision," the 34-year-old said.
Kubica, who recovered from career-threatening injury, underlined DTM as a 'big challenge' for him.
"DTM is probably the toughest championship apart of Formula 1 in Europe. Let's put it this way, if I manage to race there, I would be happy with it and if we manage to combine a few things to make everybody happy, I'm open to this."
Kubica finished last in the qualifying on Saturday, just behind teammate George Russell.
Meanwhile, one more driver - Nico Hulkenberg - is also bidding goodbye. The 32-year-old German has entered 179 GPs with just one pole position - a record for the most F1 career starts without a podium finish. And now Hulkenberg wishes to stay disconnected from racing for few months.
"Part of me is kind of excited about the times ahead - to close this chapter and open a new one. I don't know what might happen and might not in the future."
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com