Kubica in full attack
Robert Kubica showed very promising speed during the first part of the Rally Mexico, but made then a mistake while chasing the leader Sebastian Ogier. The Pole believes the experience gained in Mexico will boost his chances at the next venue.
Kubica was seen as one of the greatest hopes in modern racing history. However, he suffered serious injuries when he had a dreadful crash, in which his right forearm was partially severed. He had been training hard to make a comeback to Formula 1, was never able to regain the full functionality of his right arm which made it impossible to drive in the very tight environment of a single-seater.
The Krakow-born driver switched his attention to the world of rally. He showed great pace from his first outings on and won the second category of World Rally Championship. He switch to the premier category of WRC last year where he proved himself to be very fast, but also inconsistent.
For 2015 he stayed in WRC and after the first three rounds he finds himself in a very similar situation to last year. He has had reliability problems and driver mistakes so far. The Pole now promises to learn from the lessons and present himself in a much better shape when the field returns to Argentinia where he had his best result last year.
It was a bit of a mixed rally for us - with the mistake in El Chocolate and a few too many punctures - but in other places we showed good speed,” he told wrc.com. “Mexico is not an easy rally so experience there is very important. This year I learned how to cope with some more situations.”
Kubica switched to Pirelli rubber in 2015 which seems to have a very different characteritics which he was used to.
“After the mixed tarmac in Monte Carlo and the snow of Sweden, Mexico was the first rally on gravel with Pirelli,” he explained. “We have to adapt because the tyres work in a completely different way, with different characteristics. We tried to improve the balance and behaviour of the car, and we will see in Argentina how we got on. For sure we will be better with the experience.”
Argentina should be a turning point where he plans to settle down and aims to finish the rally without any dramas.
“Argentina has been good to me in the past - and last year my finish position was good, even if my driving wasn’t - but this year about 95 per cent of the route is new, so it will be like a new rally. My plan is to gain more experience, do a smooth rally and improve the package,” he added.
