Kubica wants strong start to the year

The Pole briefly led the world championship standings in the middle of last year, but the team's form slipped away in the second half of the season as they lost out in the development race against rivals McLaren and Ferrari.

Kubica hopes the team will have a similarly good beginning to 2009 and, more importantly, that they can keep up such form until the final race.

"As every year, the driver tries to give his maximum effort and make the maximum of his capacity," said Kubica at the launch of the team's new F1.09 in Valencia on Tuesday.

"Last year we saw that working together we can achieve good result. For the first half of the season, we were title contenders. We were leading the drivers' and Constructors' Championships at certain points of the season.

"Everyone remembers how it finished, and we will try to repeat the first half of the season and finish better than last year."

With a total clampdown on in-season testing, Kubica thinks it more important than ever that the pre-season build-up goes smoothly.

"With the testing restrictions, the work in the workshop of the engineers will become even more crucial as you have no time on Fridays to test every new part and development on the track," he said.

"It's very important that we get everything right straight away in the workshop, now especially to prepare for the first race."

Kubica was the first man to try out the F1.09 on track, as he completed an installation lap at Valencia, but said it was far too early to make any judgement on the car.

"It was cold," he explained. "This was my second opportunity to do the roll-out lap of a new car and of course it's a great feeling.

"It is a bit different from last year, but it is too early to say. It was too cold and it was just an installation lap to check it - to have the engine running, the car turning, and to be sure the brakes are okay."