Baby Steps: Interview with Robert Kubica

After being thrust into the limelight in 2006 following the departure of Jacques Villeneuve, Robert Kubica had a chance to consolidate his position at BMW Sauber this year. He did just that, guaranteeing himself a future with the team despite strong pressure from test drivers Sebastian Vettel and Timo Glock, both of whom eventually moved to race elsewhere.

However, the Pole is the first to admit that it was not an entirely satisfactory year for him, and not just because his Montreal accident forced him to miss the United States Grand Prix, which cost him a little mid-season momentum. In the end, teammate Nick Heidfeld outscored Kubica by 61 points to 39 and outqualified him by 11-5. Of course, on occasion mechanical gremlins intervened, notably in the opening two races and in China, where the Pole was set for a major helping of points.

But nevertheless those statistics do suggest that Heidfeld had the edge, and Kubica is painfully aware of that. Of course, it was Robert's first full season and the German has a vast amount of experience, but Lewis Hamilton's form alongside Fernando Alonso has changed all perceptions of how well a young driver can do.

Having said that, Kubica did manage to finish in the points in every race he finished bar the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, where he couldn't quite get past Heikki Kovalainen for eighth. And he headed Heidfeld home on four occasions when they finished in the points together (Monaco, Magny-Cours, Silverstone and Interlagos). That proved that when things fell into place, Robert could comfortably outrun his teammate, although Nick beat him on more occasions over the season.

The bottom line is that 2008 is a crucial season for Kubica. Not only does he have to at least match Heidfeld and prove that he can continue to progress and be a key part of the team's future, but BMW will no doubt be watching the progress of Glock and Vettel with some interest.

BMW teammates Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld © XPB/LAT

And just maybe Mario Theissen will keep an eye on Fernando Alonso, wondering what might have happened had he been in a position to offer the Spaniard a seat rather than stay loyal to the two guys he confirmed well before the end of the season.

Q: This was your first full season in F1. What's your overall feeling about it?

Kubica: "I think the season was very good for all the team, and for sure as a team we were not expecting to be so competitive, and our car has made big steps compared to last year. But it's also true that especially with my car we have lost a lot of points due to technical problems, and not only technical problems.

"In that way I am happy for the team for what we have achieved as a group, and for sure for the guys in Hinwil and Munich it's very positive and a very good achievement, but in some ways I'm also a bit disappointed for myself."

Q: How much better prepared were you this year after a winter of testing?

Kubica: "For sure the winter testing was a different approach, because this year I knew that I was working for myself, and that I had to prepare as much as possible for the new season, the new challenge.

"Last year, you know, I was working more or less as a team player for Nick and Jacques, and with tyre testing we were more watching for them. This year we didn't have any more tyre testing, we have a different work set-up, and now I could set up the car for myself more, what I like and what I don't like.

"So I got more knowledge about the new car, because at the beginning of the season it was a new car for the whole team, and also knowledge about the tyres."

Q: It must have been a great feeling after two or three races realising that on a bad day, you might start sixth...

Kubica: "In some ways it was very good. There were some days where we were able to fight with McLaren and Ferrari, depending on which track. And in fact we finished some races in front of them. But in the global picture we were safe in third position.

"There were two or three Grands Prix where Renault was close to us. Silverstone and Magny-Cours was a crucial point of the season, because at that point Renault was catching us, but we made good races there and we managed to make a bigger gap to them. So then it was pretty easy."

Kubica leads BMW teammate Heidfeld in the Monaco GP © LAT

Q: What were the races you were most proud of?

Kubica: "Two races where I was pretty competitive, especially in the race, were Hungary and Monaco. Unfortunately on both occasions I didn't manage to achieve 100% of the result that was possible - Monaco because of strategy, and in Hungary we had gearbox trouble in qualifying, and I was starting in P8.

"I finished P5, three seconds behind Nick. It was a very good race for myself, and I was not expecting to be so competitive there. But this year's car I think was very good also in tracks where we were not expecting it to be, like Monaco and Hungary."

Q: What was the biggest disappointment?

Kubica: "There were some disappointments, especially I think in the beginning of the season. The first two races I didn't score any points, and on both occasions my performance was very close to Ferrari and McLaren, I was the first one who was able to stay with them. And I didn't get any points.

"Then through the year it was a bit better. But there were some occasions when you feel you can achieve something like a podium and something goes wrong, and that's always disappointing."

Q: The collision with Nick at Nurburgring must have been frustrating for everybody...

Kubica: "Nurburgring was very frustrating for the team. We were in Germany, there were a lot of top people from BMW. It happened, it shouldn't have happened, but for myself from a driver point of view it was not really frustrating. It was racing, and I see it a bit differently, because in the end it can happen."

Q: The real low point must have been Montreal and missing Indianapolis. What are you feelings about that?

Kubica: "In Montreal what happened, happened. The crash was very heavy and it would be better if it didn't happen, but I was lucky that I had no injury, and I could come back in Magny-Cours. I missed Indy because Montreal was just one week before, and with a second accident I could have had much worse injuries, and there was a very high risk. So I missed that race.

Kubica walked away uninjured from a serious crash in the Canadian GP © LAT

"In some ways it was for sure not good, but I think after what happened in Canada I was lucky that I could come back so quickly in Magny-Cours."

Q: How much have you learned this season - are you a much better driver than this time last year?

Kubica: "For sure I have learned a lot, and I try to improve a lot, which is not easy. But every day is a new lesson, especially in F1, and you have no experience when you are a young driver, and you have to understand how the whole system works, not only the car and the work with the team, but in general it's a bit different compared with karting or the previous single-seater categories that I have been in. It was a good, long learning experience this year."

Q: The team is growing too. Does that make it the perfect place for you to be?

Kubica: "It's very nice to see that as a team we have grown up a lot, and I sleep very well because I believe very well in the people who design the car and built our team. We have the right people in the right places. For sure this year's car was the confirmation of what I'm saying, and I think now we have to understand quickly how the car has to be developed with the changing of the rules. But I'm pretty confident for the future."

Q: BMW made a huge step this year, but the biggest one you have to make is to catch McLaren and Ferrari next season.

Kubica: "Yes, the hardest step will be for next year, and I think it will be difficult to repeat even this year's results. I think that next year will be a very important year for the team, because now we have to repeat the performance, and it will not be easy because everybody is working in F1, and nobody is sleeping. It was a tough year, and it will be a tough winter."

Q: You mean in terms of adapting to the common ECU and no electronic systems?

Kubica: "That's why I say we have to understand as quickly as possible what the car needs. It is a big change, because for the last decade the car, the aerodynamics, the suspension were all designed for traction control, but I'm pretty confident that, as I say, we have good engineers and good designers, and they know how to do their job."

Kubica during recent testing at Jerez, Spain © XPB/LAT

Q: A lot of young drivers have not raced an F1 car without traction control. Do you see that as a challenge?

Kubica: "I think for me it's not a big problem. For sure we have to change the set-up of the car and adapt driving style, but I have been adapting very quickly to different conditions, and I adapted very quickly to this year's tyres, which were a big question mark. I was using Michelins I think pretty well, because they were a bit special, so it's not a problem."

Q: Can you believe that everything has happened so quickly for you?

Kubica: "In F1 there are many young drivers, and this year Lewis has shown that even with not a lot of experience, you can do very well. When you are good, you are good.

"For sure experience helps over the long term, especially with different conditions. For example, this year and last year I made some mistakes because of no experience, even Lewis has done some mistakes because of no experience, and when you have this experience you feel more comfortable.

"You rely more on experience and not only on feeling, so for sure by driving a lot you gain experience and you get better."