Kubica says 2009 not a wasted season

Since losing out on a second-place finish in the Australian Grand Prix after a clash with Sebastian Vettel, Kubica has struggled even to be a points contender.

But despite having come into the season hoping to challenge for the title, the Pole still believes that this year is a valuable learning process.

"I don't think it's a wasted year," said Kubica when asked by AUTOSPORT whether he considered this season as a lost year. "This year we can learn a lot.

"As a team, as a driver, I think racing even for P15 can teach you new things. Driving a difficult car like we have can also improve you in some aspects.

"From a negative situation, we can take out some positives. If we can turn a negative part of the season into positive, it will be even better. The experience will help in the future."

Kubica does not believe that the upgrade package that BMW Sauber will try in free practice tomorrow, which includes a new version of the double decker diffuser, will make a big difference to the team's position even though it should improve the car.

"We have a few new parts like the diffuser, rear suspension, the revised front wing, so all in all we are expecting some improvement, but it's difficult to judge how big it will be," said Kubica.

"I don't think that it will change the situation a lot. Most of it will depend on how our car suits the track. I'm looking forward to testing the revised suspension to see if the driveability of the car can improve."

Despite this, Kubica says that he is fully focused on getting the best out of the F1.09 in the rest of the season, and is looking forward to finding out how big a difference the parts will make on track.

"I don't think I'm looking to next year because this year is not finished," he said. "There are still many races to go, and in our case especially that is good. We can use these races for development.

"Without testing, somehow you have to test in the races and I will be glad to see that we are bringing new parts and trying to understand which direction we have to go and where to improve.

"It sounds strange, because we are not fighting for top positions but it's good that after three weeks we are back in the car and we can to see if we are going in the right direction or not."