Robert Kubica's F1 return hopes suffer a blow after Williams open talks with Formula 2 protégé Oliver Rowland

Rowland finished third in this year's Formula 2 series and has tested with Renault

Oliver Rowland, who tested with Renault this year, is in talks with Williams for 2018 (Getty)

Robert Kubica’s hopes of a fairy tale Formula 1 return in 2018 may have suffered a blow after rising star Formula 2 driver Oliver Rowland claimed to have opened talks with Williams, although the team remain no closer to appointing their second driver for next season after playing down the claims.

Kubica tested for Williams at last week’s post-Abu Dhabi Grand Prix tyre test, in which he shared duties with confirmed 2018 driver Lance Stroll and fellow hopeful Sergey Sirotkin. British former Grand Prix driver Paul Di Resta is also in the mix for a drive, having filled in for Felipe Massa earlier this year, and all three have publicly spoken of their desire to replace the retired Brazilian for the 2018 season.

But in what is a surprise move, Williams have opened talks with Rowland, according to the driver’s representatives, and who despite finishing third in this season’s F2 world championship is yet to return to an F1 cockpit after testing for Renault in the Netherlands this summer.

“My team is in talks with Williams, as they are with other teams,” Rowland said. “British car, British driver, it fits well. Lots of drivers seem to be in the frame for 2018, so we will just have to see what happens.”

However, Williams have played down those claims, and it’s understood that contact between the two parties could lead to a reserve driver role rather than a seat on the 2018 grid.

Kubica has tested for Williams since the end of the 2017 season (REX)

The 25-year-old Sheffield native has just returned from Japan, where he held talks with teams in the Super Formula single-seater series that both current F1 drivers Stoffel Vandoorne and Pierre Gasly featured in before moving to the premier class – with the latter missing out on this year’s title by just half-a-point.

Kubica is hoping to earn a place back on the grid for the first time since 2010, having suffered a series rally accident the following winter that left his with career-changing injuries to his right arm and nearly resulted in the limb being amputated. The Polish Grand Prix winner has stressed that he wants to win a seat in 2018 because he deserves it and not because of the fairy tale return that it would represent, but Williams have refused to release how fast he was in Abu Dhabi last month after keeping their drivers’ times under wraps.