Kubica satisfied despite missing title

The Pole had been in contention for the title until last weekend's Chinese Grand Prix, but will now have to content himself with third place if he can finish ahead of Kimi Raikkonen in the season finale in Brazil.

Kubica led the championship immediately after his Canadian Grand Prix victory and was desperate for BMW Sauber chiefs to make the most of their title opportunities.

And although the team's consistency and reliability kept Kubica in the hunt until the penultimate round, in the end the team's pace compared to McLaren and Ferrari left him unable to take the fight to the final race.

Speaking on the official BMW Sauber website, Kubica said that there was not too much disappointment about the turn of events.

"It (will be) excellent for myself to finish in the top three at the end of the season," he said. "You never know whether you'll get another chance over the next five years or so to lead the world championship after seven races. Our consistency and reliability is what kept us in the battle for the championship."

He added: "I was always quick, and had very few errors. Of course, I am very ambitious and always give one hundred percent, but you still always have the feeling that we could have done better. However, we should be happy with what we have achieved."