Kubica does not regret F1 return

Robert Kubica speaks to media. Note mangled right arm

(GMM) Robert Kubica insists he does not regret returning to formula one.

The Pole had a horror weekend in Melbourne, which was his first race since returning from an eight-year recovery from permanent arm injuries.

Not only is Williams by far the slowest team, Kubica was outpaced by his teammate George Russell and even lapped by the rookie Briton on Sunday.

"From the time I heard about it (the return), I questioned it," former F1 driver JJ Lehto told Iltalehti newspaper.

"He's been away for so long and Williams are so lost at the moment that the drivers can hardly do anything."

But Kubica insisted in Melbourne: "No, I don't regret returning.

"Last year I considered the decision for more than six weeks and knew it would be difficult, even if I didn't know we would go to Australia so unprepared.

"For me, as a driver, the days in Barcelona were the most important of the last eight years, why is why I found myself in a difficult situation. Somehow I managed to cope with all of that here, and now I will need to do it again in Bahrain and possibly for several more races.

"But I don't regret. I am not the most emotional person, but after the finish I felt that I had achieved something serious," he added.

Still, Kubica admits it was a very difficult race.

"At one point, I heard from my engineer that I have good pace, and I started to laugh because it felt like I was standing still.

"But only two years ago no one even thought that I could go back to racing. Now I have a long flight home, but I'm leaving Australia happy," he said.