Sauber: Kubica has 'huge potential' in F1

Kubica was drafted in by BMW-Sauber at the Hungarian Grand Prix, as replacement for Jacques Villeneuve, and in only his third race at Monza drove brilliantly to grab a maiden podium finish.

Sauber, who has previously said he believes Kubica could be as good as Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso, is in no doubts that the Polish driver has a great future ahead of him.

"He managed to catapult himself from sixth position to third place thanks to an aggressive yet controlled start," Sauber told the BMW-Sauber website about Kubica's Monza performance.

"Then he was able to fend off the pressure of Felipe Massa in the Ferrari for lap after lap without making even the slightest mistake. That was an outstanding performance.

"In the past, he was often forced to use second rate material due to his limited financial possibilities. You really had to take a closer look to discover his qualities. However, it was definitely worth our while.

"This was only the beginning; the best is yet to come. Robert has huge potential."

Kubica has not yet been confirmed as a BMW-Sauber driver for next season but his performance so far makes it almost certain that he will be retained by the team alongside Nick Heidfeld.