Mercedes’ Toto Wolff is currently evaluating multiple drivers for simulator role in 2020 as Haas has Robert Kubica on their list.
With Esteban Ocon moving to Renault from 2020 F1 season and George Russell racing for Williams, Mercedes will not have a full-time reserve and or simulator driver, working for the team during race weekends.
They have Esteban Gutierrez for 2019 while their Formula E racers Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries helped them out as well, but the line-up for 2020 is open and to be firmed up in the coming weeks.
With the likes of Nico Hulkenberg and Robert Kubica now in the market, when asked by FormulaRapida.net/IndiaInF1.com, if they are looking at them as well, Wolff was more general in his response.
“We are looking at things at the moment because of Esteban [to Renault] and our Formula E drivers’ [announcement], we just fell all over the place, but we will look at in the coming weeks,” he said.
Considering the need of simulator drivers these days, it will be interesting to see who Mercedes opts for as both Hulkenberg and Kubica will be of great help. The latter has more teams eyeing him up.
Ever since his announcement of leaving Williams after 2019, the Polish driver has been in hot demand, knowing his development skills. One of the teams, which also has had rough talks before 2018, was Haas.
The American outfit has Pietro Fittipaldi in a full-time role, while Louis Deletraz has been helping them as well but an experienced simulator driver will only be beneficial in a time like they are having in 2019.
That was one of the biggest reasons why they retained Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen. For 2020 as well, Guenther Steiner admitted to having the need of a driver like Kubica in such role.
“Anything is possible and we are talking with him,” said Steiner to media including FormulaRapida.net/IndiaInF1.com. “I always talk with a lot of people, try to make things better. But I don’t know yet if it will happen.
“I need still to speak with Robert if he wants to do it now he has decided he is leaving Williams, but I don’t know his other plans. He’s got lot of experience, and he is known to be one of the best of test and simulator drivers around.
“I’ve never worked with him, but I’ve got a lot of people which worked with him, and they all respect him a lot. I think he cannot do a full-time job, or he doesn’t want to. But he is a good benchmark.
“He enjoys racing but we don’t know his plans, so that is something we need to sit together and talk. With no testing next year we need to do it, because otherwise there is no point to put someone in the simulator who cannot make a correlation.
“We need to do tests or free practices. That’s all part of it. But I think we are getting ahead of ourselves here. The discussion is in infant stage, but it is possible.”
