Having progressed from driving the 2012 Lotus to more contemporary equipment and then a 'shoot-out' with Paul di Resta at the Hungaroring, it looked as though Robert Kubica, seven years after the rally crash that almost claimed his life, was set for a fairy-tale return to F1.

But then along came Sergey Sirotkin and his many millions of roubles, leaving Kubica out in the cold, or test and reserve driver as it's now known.

Speaking to Polish newspaper Przeglad Sportowy, Kubica reveals that he was bitterly disappointed to lose out to Sirotkin, having convinced himself he was set to participate in the year's championship.

"The next seven, eight, nine months of the season can bring me closer to this," he said of a return. "I don't really know how close I was at that moment, but now it's not important anymore.

"As a rule, I keep expectations low," he admits, "and I have a habit of believing in things only when they happen, but at some point I was almost convinced that I will be taking part in Australia."

Asked if watching Sirotkin driving 'his' car from the sidelines will be difficult, the popular Pole admits: "I was thinking about it and to be honest, I don't think it will be a nice moment for me. Going to races to see other drivers are racing will not be nice, but it's worth trying in order to come back. It may as well just be a part of the long journey I've completed so far and I'm glad I found myself at this point.

"I also think that there will be great moments when I'll feel satisfaction with this role," he continued, "even though I won't compete and fight on track. I will do everything to have a chance again. I'm aiming to take back what life took away from me to some extent. I hope it wasn't taken away forever."

Asked about his role, Kubica, who contested 76 Grand Prix over the course of five seasons with BMW and Renault, admits that while he will help mentor the most inexperienced line-up on the 2018 grid, he will also learn.

"In a sense, I will also be a translator," he said. "Often engineers sit at the same table with drivers, but speak a different language. They look at the same things in a different way. They don't understand what drivers' priorities are, and drivers don't quite understand engineers. It is because we know this sport from completely different sides.

"I have a great challenge ahead of me," he concludes, "I will gain access to new information and therefore I'll be able to become a better driver. Not so much faster, but a more complete person in motorsport."