Q & A with Robert Kubica

Robert Kubica: "I arrived at the circuit the day before yesterday to meet the different members of the test team. I listened to the radio conversations, and observed the Renault F1 Team's working methods. I also managed to watch the cars from trackside and although I had already seen F1 cars in action, I was very impressed with the cornering speeds."

Q. And what was your initial feeling when you went out on track this morning?

RK: "I began running on the track when it was very cold. However, I needed to attack quite quickly to get the tyres and brakes up to temperature. Honestly, I didn't expect the performance gap compared to the Formula Renault 3.5 car to be so big. After all, along with the GP2 car, it is the fastest racing car in Europe after F1..."

Q. What was your verdict at the end of the morning?

RK: "I was pleased with the progress I made. That was what the team was really interested in, more than the absolute lap-times: to see how I worked with them, to give them feedback about the car. I tried to improve with every lap, and make no mistakes. From that point of view, it was a successful day."

Q. Was your work part of the team's wider testing programme?

RK: "Not really. I was running the R25 with the V10 engine restricted to simulate the power levels of the V8 engine for next year. The team applied a set-up that made the car easier to drive and during the runs, we made some detail adjustments. But there was so much to learn that we didn't get too far in terms of set-up changes."

Q. How do you see the future?

RK: "When I look back at 2005, I can it was a good year. I will turn 21 in one week, on 7 December, and my aim is to continue my career in Europe. GP2 seems like the best option, because it will get me a little bit closer to the world of F1."