Robert Kubica on the F1 2017 title race in the Italian GP F1 Report

Robert Kubica believes Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen, along with the Red Bull drivers, will play a "very important role" in the title run-in as F1 2017 starts to distil into a straight duel between Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.

Hamilton and Vettel have pulled further clear in the championship in the two races since F1's summer break.

Bottas, the next highest-placed driver, is nearly two race wins adrift of his Mercedes team-mate, who now leads the standings, while Ferrari's Raikkonen is effectively already long out of contention, 100 points back on Hamilton.

F1 Report

But while the final seven races of the season are poised to be a direct head-to-head between the 2017 grid's most successful drivers, Kubica reckons four other leading drivers can influence the ultimate outcome.

"The second drivers will play a very important role, but also Red Bull," the former Renault driver told Sky Sports' F1 Report.

"Red Bull on twisty, high-downforce circuits where the engine is less important, they have a very good chassis and they can play a very important role with putting their car in the middle of the pack or stealing the points from Mercedes and Ferrari.

"So the second drivers and Red Bull will be the key points for the end of the season."

Kubica was speaking in a special appearance on the latest edition of F1 Report, which is available to view below:

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The Pole joined Natalie Pinkham and Damon Hill at Monza after the race to discuss the weekend's events and the state of play in the title battle. Kubica, who is bidding to make a race return to F1, was back in the paddock for the first time since suffering severe arm injuries in a rallying accident in February 2011.