Kubica keeping expectations in check

The Pole enjoyed one of his strongest performances of the season in the Monte Carlo race, as the streets of the principality suited his car perfectly.

This weekend's Singapore Grand Prix should provide Kubica a similar opportunity to shine, but the Pole admitted he is taking nothing for granted, especially as Monaco took place in May.

"I think we must be careful not to take anything for granted," said Kubica. "It's true that Singapore is the closest circuit to Monaco in the calendar, but Monaco was over four months ago.

"I'd like the car to be as competitive and easy to drive as it was back then, because it makes it easy for me to push straight away and easier for the engineers to work on extracting the final bit of performance. But things change quickly in Formula 1 and it may not be the case.

"My approach will be as usual: I will keep in mind that we are fighting in a very strong pack of cars, and lately teams like Williams have come very strong, so we need to wait and see. But I'm definitely looking forward to a good performance."

Team-mate Vitaly Petrov, racing for the first time in Singapore, said his goal remains to qualify in the top ten in order to have a good chance to beat rival Mercedes.

"My objective is to fight in the top 10 and to get into Q3. Our objective remains to try and beat Mercedes," he said. "It will be a challenge because everything will be new for me, but it will be a challenging weekend for everybody."