Robert Kubica to skip Rally Australia for more WRC testing

An engine problem spoiled the Polish star's first outing in an asphalt-specification 2015 Fiesta in Germany earlier last weekend.

Changing the engine on the eve of the rally saddled him with a five-minute penalty, while going off the road twice cost more time.

Kubica could not find a comfortable set-up with the Fiesta, which has prompted him to skip the trip down under in favour of asphalt testing for Corsica and Catalunya.

"The [2014] specification car was the best handling Fiesta I ever drove," Kubica told AUTOSPORT, "and with this one we have a lot of understeer. I need to know why.

"Before the event, we had a two-day test; the day in France was good, but then we came [to Germany] for the second day of the test and it rained and we didn't discover enough.

"I wanted to use the rally [in Germany] as the test, but that was difficult as well.

"So, now we have decided not to go to Australia and instead, we will work towards the next rallies in Corsica and Catalunya to find the right way with the car and with the tyre.

"The logistics for Australia are complicated. And we have to look at a lot of things with the suspension and the differentials for the Tarmac - these are things we cannot do on the rally."

The RK World Rally Team would have had to prepare the airfreight for Australia by the end of this week.