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Williams still looking beyond Kubica for 2018 seat - Lowe

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Robert Kubica appears to have passed his ultimate evaluation test with Williams with flying colors, but the team's second seat is still up for grabs insists tech boss Paddy Lowe.

Kubica fulfilled his testing duties with the Grove-based outfit in Abu Dhabi this week, performing well and with no physical worries as he shared the driving in Yas Marina with Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin.

Lowe reiterated Williams' stance however, saying the team is in no hurry to name Stroll's 2018 team mate and insisted its list of contenders goes beyond the drivers it tested in Abu Dhabi.

"We'll take the decision at the time we are ready," said Lowe.

"When we have all the information and we are ready to declare it.

"The drivers we brought to this test doesn't mean that it's the drivers under consideration for racing next year.

Kubica admits to limitations, but not 'driving with one hand'

"This was a tyre test, which is an opportunity to look at two different drivers as well as for Lance to look at the new tyres. That was the purpose.

"Of course it gives us more information about drivers, but it's not setting a definition from the pool from which we will pick race drivers."

Other contenders for the coveted Williams drive include Paul di Resta, Pascal Wehrlein and Dany Kvyat.

Kubica was the quickest of the Williams drivers in Abu Dhabi, but given the variance in track conditions and tyres, Lowe refused to comment the Pole's performance.

"I'm not gonna talk about speed," he said at the end of the test.

"It's a complicated topic. I'm sure you want me to give some answers about that but it's not something we are not going to discuss.

"It's a really complicated topic, performance and speed, so to read a timesheet is quite misleading, so I'm not gonna talk about that. We haven't even analysed it for ourselves."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.