Boy Wonder: Interview with Robert Kubica

Exactly one year ago Robert Kubica's life turned upside down. On Thursday, December 1st 2006, he was given his first run in an F1 car, his prize for winning the World Series by Renault title. The previous year's winner, Giorgio Mondini, was also invited along. It was one of those routine winter outings where a team has to honour a commitment to its owners, and everyone is keen to get it out of the way so that they can get on with the real work.

Just to make things even more interesting, Kubica had once been a member of the Renault Driver Development team, alongside Heikki Kovalainen. But he had been dropped by Bruno Michel, the man who runs RDD on behalf of Flavio Briatore. Standards are high, and if you are not seen as a future F1 prospect, then someone else is given a shot.

On that day in Barcelona, Kubica did exactly what we now know to be his style. One of those drivers who don't need time to build up, he just got in and drove the socks off the thing, while keeping just enough in hand so he didn't do anything silly. Using a V10 detuned to replicate V8 power, he was some 0.4 seconds off then Renault test driver Franck Montagny's time, and just a tenth or two shy of the likes of Juan Pablo Montoya, Nico Rosberg and Ralf Schumacher. He was also 1.1 seconds ahead of Mondini. It all seemed so easy, just as it did for Michael Schumacher in the Jordan at Silverstone back in 1991.

Times are always hard to assess, but more importantly he impressed the team with his approach and no-nonsense style. Perhaps he was worthy of further investigation. There was talk of another Renault test, but that involved signing options, management deals, and so on. However, Kubica had another opportunity, and for a second time Renault let him slip through their fingers.

BMW-Sauber were one of the few teams not actually present at that Barcelona test, and yet none of the others there that day showed an interest. It's true that BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen knew Kubica's name after attending the Macau GP, to see the touring car finale in 2004 and 2005, but the impetus came from another source.

Kubica is managed by Italian Daniele Morelli, who used to look after Pedro Diniz. He knew Peter Sauber from those days and had also had a hand in introducing Felipe Massa to the Swiss team owner. A week after the test, Morelli met Sauber at the FIA Awards in Monaco, and over lunch the following day, and when giving him a lift back to Nice airport, Morelli delivered his best pitch. The timing was perfect - a successful F1 baptism is a much easier sell than a CV packed with title wins.

It worked. Sauber went back to Hinwil, talked to the BMW folk, and before long Kubica was high on the list of possible test drivers for 2006. After meeting him and researching the Renault test, BMW signed him up without even running him in the car. Others had turned down the offer because there was no guarantee of a future race seat.

The rest of the story is too recent to need repeating in depth. Suffice to say that his Friday performances created the momentum that led to Jacques Villeneuve jumping ship and a race seat becoming available half a season earlier than expected. Kubica impressed in Hungary, and sealed his future with that third place finish at Monza. In Brazil, the first Polish driver in Formula One, was confirmed for 2007.

It's an extraordinary achievement for a man who comes from a country with so little motorsport background. Giving me a lift from his hotel to Interlagos on the day of the announcement, he pointed out that Poland has just 200kms of proper motorways. And the streets in his home town are so bad that one winter he had to replace five buckled wheels on his road car!

He's done all this with an unusual, aggressive driving style that bears comparison only with that of Fernando Alonso. Bearing in mind the problems that drivers are having with the latest, harder Bridgestone tyres, his answer to our last question makes for particularly interesting reading. Nick Heidfeld has good reason to be concerned...

AC: How important was that Renault test?

Kubica: "I think the test with Renault was very important, because everything starts from there from my F1 experience, and without that test with Renault I would not be here.

"I did only 30 laps, I had only had half a day. The morning was very damp and very cold, so we had to wait until 11:00am. So I drove only an hour and half in the car. I was really surprised. It was easier in a way to go into F1 with a car like the Renault, which was quite easy to drive. Of course, going on the limit is difficult, but going close to an already good pace was quite easy.

"I remember the day before: I was just watching around the track, and when I stood at the corners just next to the barriers, I thought these guys are crazy, it's not possible! But next morning you jump into the car and it gives out such confidence, and a lot of downforce, and everything is much easier than looking from outside."

AC: How did you compare with Franck Montagny?

Kubica: "At the end of the day I think he was 0.3 seconds quicker (it was actually 0.4), but I just used one set of tyres. For me, it was already good with 30 laps and one set of new tyres, and I was not pushing really hard. I think everybody was quite surprised in Renault, and also I was surprised, and I was enjoying it.

"This test, I think I had much more to lose than to win, doing some mistakes or something. I just go there, enjoy it, and have fun. In this moment I was thinking there is maybe only one chance to drive an F1 car, so just have fun and that's it!"

AC: The funny thing was that RDD had dropped you, and there you were driving a Renault anyway...

Kubica: "It was quite strange, but everybody was really nice with me. I have good memories from this test, and I was really surprised because of course I was driving this day with Mondini. I was the winner of the World Series of 2005, and Mondini was the winner in 2004.

"We were coming to the world champion team, and this was the first test after the banning period, and they had to let us run. But I can imagine for a team like Renault it was just pissing them off, just let them drive, we'll do these laps. But I think they were surprised and I was surprised how they treated me, and it was really nice."

AC: How did things start with BMW? Mario Theissen had seen you in Macau...

Kubica: "Macau was one week earlier, but he didn't talk to me. I had the first contact with BMW in the middle of December. The impressive thing that surprised me was that when I went there and talked about the next season, and they said 'OK, you can be test driver', I thought they would put me in the car and see how I go.

"OK, you can see it in Macau, but F3 is different than F1, and I think it's always better to try some drivers before signing. But probably they had some information or something, they had seen how I went with Renault, and maybe it was enough."

AC: You started this year as test driver and finished it with a race seat and a contract for 2007. How does that feel?

Kubica: "Everything went really quickly for me this year! I was already very happy when I got the chance to be test driver and Friday driver for BMW Sauber, and I was not really expecting anything. I was just trying to do the best that I could, and trying to help the team to get the car quicker and quicker, and to deliver good feedback for them.

"I think especially at the beginning of the year, when I was a rookie, no one really knew how I would perform, how the feedback would be, or if I could drive at the same pace all the time - I think it's very important when you are testing tyres and some new stuff.

"I did a lot of days of testing, which was good for me, because I learned more and got closer to the team, and it gave me the feeling that the feedback could not be so bad if they let me drive so much. So that was really good."

AC: How did it feel going out for the first time in Bahrain?

Kubica: "Bahrain was really nice for me, but I don't have big memories. I have much more memories from Hungary than Bahrain, and I think this is normal. Of course it was nice to see everybody on the track, but I'd done some testing, so I'd already been out with the other cars.

"Friday is different, you cannot compare lap times, everybody is doing different programmes, but I think it gives you a really good experience. It means that next season I am coming to tracks that I already know, and this is for sure helpful."

AC: Your style seems to be to get in the car and go for it. Is that how you see it, that you're always pushing?

Kubica: "I don't really motivate myself or try to push myself, I just go into the car and do the best that I can. Honestly, I think during the year of being test driver I could go much - well, maybe not much - but certainly quicker in some sessions or some testing.

"But for me the priority was no mistake, always same consistent driving, to not create too much confusion with the tyre choice and everything, which is very important because then you have to race these tyres on Sunday. My priority was to give the best feedback as possible."

AC: And then it all changed in Hungary...

Kubica: "Of course, then everything changed a bit when I got the drive in Hungary. Especially in the point of view of Friday, and changing the 'rules', but in the end it's the same - you have to drive the car, and drive it as fast as possible!

"It's much easier just to do Fridays than when you are a regular driver, especially when you are coming to the new tracks and you don't have a lot of running, and you always have to save the engine and tyres. You have to be quite quick to understand where you have to put the wheels, and what set-up you have to use, and this is not easy."

AC: Could you believe that you were suddenly a race driver?

Kubica: "My dream was F1, but my goal was to become a professional driver in some categories. F1 of course I think everybody would like to be here, from the young drivers, but I knew that it's not so easy. Coming from the country where I come from, without any popularity of motorsport and especially F1, and without any big support, some moments were not easy.

"But I think I can enjoy it even more now that I'm here, and I hope I can stay a bit longer. I joined without any big support, without any big sponsors, and stuff like this. This is for sure a good feeling.

"But coming back to Hungary, it was really nice. I was surprised, because it was not planned, and I knew it on Tuesday evening. In those two days at home, I could do nothing. You have to go there, in Hungary, and do the best that you can. The pace was there - OK, the race was really crazy and conditions were really difficult, and I did a few mistakes, and everything started not very nice in the race.

"But it finished quite well, and the second half of the race was quite strong for me. Also, the final laps with intermediate tyres on totally dry conditions were not easy. It ended up not in the best way because I was disqualified, in the end it was up and down. I think I will remember Hungary for positives, not negatives."

AC: Then things didn't go well in Turkey with the tyre choice...

Kubica: "Turkey was not really fantastic. I think we had really good tyres for qualifying, and not really for the race. But in the end you make mistakes, that's normal. Sometimes you risk, and it doesn't pay off."

AC: But Monza was an unbelievable race. Was the start the key to it?

Kubica: "I wouldn't say it was easy, but it was easier for me, the weekend, because we had the possibility to test one week earlier, and prepare for the race. I knew Monza anyway, but we could run different set-ups, work a bit on everything, and we could decide which configuration of aerodynamics was the best. I think we did a really good job on aerodynamics for Monza, because we were really quick on the straight, and still not too bad in the second sector.

"It was important to do a good start, but everything started already in qualifying. I was a bit conservative with my qualifying performance, because after Turkey I put more pressure to choose good tyres for the race, to ensure I would not get graining or big degradation. And I was surprised that I could go so easily to Q3, but then I made one mistake in Lesmo and it cost me three or four tenths, so I could have started even more in front. Still, seventh place was not bad.

"Of course, at this moment we were not thinking about finishing on the podium, but then Alonso got a penalty, so I was on the third row. And I made a good start and had good pace. I was holding off Massa, and in the end some laps I was much slower than him, but the late phase of the first stint was really good for me, because I pulled away a bit from him, because I was heavier and I stopped three or four laps later. I knew in those laps I had to do everything to get a bigger gap, and I did some good lap times.

"OK, I lost a position in the second stop to Alonso, but he had new tyres so he pulled away massively on the first lap, but on the second lap, unfortunately for him on the next lap he blew up the engine. Fortunately for us, the next ten laps became much easier, and I just brought the car home."

AC: Being on that particular podium, with Michael Schumacher's retirement announcement and so on, must have been special. What was it like up there?

Kubica: "Of course my first podium, after only three races in F1, was a really good feeling! I was enjoying it. Everything was concentrated on Michael's decision, and of course winning with Ferrari in Italy, in Monza, and opening the championship, which came much closer to Ferrari. And everything was concentrated on them.

"That's better, because I don't like to be in the centre of attention. It was a really good result, but it's already gone, and we have to push and we have to do the best that we can in the future."

AC: After that it was down to earth a bit when you were on dry tyres in the wet in China

Kubica: "China, again in qualifying was not so bad. I had a few problems, mainly with the experience, and how to set the systems, the traction control and engine, braking in the wet, so I just took over what we had from Jacques. We knew that it might not work, but anyway we had no choice.

"I was not really quick; I was much slower than Nick in qualifying. I started from ninth, and unfortunately in the first corner [Robert] Doornbos touched me. So I was last!

"Apparently I was really quick, overtaking a lot of cars and doing a really good race. Maybe I underestimated a bit my pace, because I didn't think I was so quick on intermediate tyres. We spoke before the race, we said this is the limit, the target. When you go below that time, it's the limit for the tyre for the dry. I was running much quicker, and we took the risk. In the end it didn't pay off.

"But for me everything really started badly on the first corner. OK, maybe we could still finish in the points with the pace we had, but we're here to finish as near to the front as possible, and if you sometimes have to take a risk, we take a risk. The result was not good, but I still think it was the moment to risk. If everything had worked, we would have enjoyed it. Unfortunately it didn't pay off, but that's racing."

AC: How do you feel about the future?

Kubica: "I would like to be quicker, just as I think everybody would like to be quicker. Even Michael would have liked to maybe sometimes go quicker! I think it's possible. In some moments you have to experience, but experience you can get just from driving, participating in the Grands Prix. With more time, with more experience, I could do it much better.

"But still honestly I am quite happy with how everything is going. We had a few problems, which we have to learn from, myself and the team. Especially on the new tracks, your set-up doesn't fit completely into this configuration, but this is just experience of working together. Let's see how it goes next year."

AC: You've seen the potential and what the team have at Hinwil. Are you excited about being part of that?

Kubica: "Yeah. This year already shows that we have potential. Of course, there are things to improve. It's important that the team know what we have to improve, and I think this is obvious.

"I think that we've done big steps on the chassis side, and the car got much better. I remember my first test was still with the old Sauber car of last year, and it was a big step for the new car. Obviously I'm really happy that I'm part of this project."

AC: This year we saw the end of the careers of Michael Schumacher, Jacques Villeneuve and Juna Pablo Montoya, while new guys like you, Sebastian Vettel and so on came in. Do you feel that you're part of a new wave?

Kubica: "I don't feel like a part of... how do the media call it? The new generation. I mean, I'm younger compared with Heikki, I'm older compared with Sebastian. I think it's normal in all sports; sometimes older guys go away, and apparently this year three - I wouldn't say old - but experienced guys went away, and this is how it is in life. There's nothing special in it."

AC: Jenson Button says that you are the only driver in the field whose driving style resembles Alonso's aggressive turn-in. Do you agree with that?

Kubica: "Yeah. I don't know why, honestly I hadn't see Fernando, I wasn't really watching how everybody drives before last year. Last year, I saw some on-boards of F1, when I was preparing for the Barcelona test, so I accumulated some videos.

"I think everything comes from the very early years when you are first doing single-seaters. I think it's clear. I learned in Formula Renault, which was set up as a really understeering car. In some way I had to get it into the corner. There was a point where I said maybe I should come back [to a normal style] in F3, and I tried to come back, but of course the problem is that when you have learned something, in two years or 30,000kms behind the wheel, then it's much harder to change it than learn from nothing."

AC: People call it 'aggressive'. Is that how you would describe it?

Kubica: "I don't know who is aggressive or who is not. I still think I'm less aggressive than Fernando. For me it's not aggressive, for someone else it might be much more aggressive. Jacques and Nick have a completely different style. Someone doesn't like this style and someone else does. I'm quite happy how it goes now.

"I know it's maybe not the nicest way, maybe it's not the best way someone might say, but I still I think that Fernando is showing that it could work. Maybe it doesn't fit to all cars, and I've changed it already a bit.

"Also for the tyres, especially soft tyre, it's not really good. In Turkey, I struggled more than Nick, but in some ways when it's cold and we have hard tyres, then I will have maybe a bit more of an advantage, because I will warm them up quicker.

"In some tracks, some conditions, it doesn't pay off. In others, maybe it does. I think Alonso shows that it can work."

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