Kubica ready for challenging Melbourne track

When the BMW Sauber F1 Team travelled to Melbourne for the 2006 Australian Grand Prix, Robert Kubica was the team's test and reserve driver. This year, however, the Pole is to contest the race weekend in Melbourne as the BMW Sauber F1 Team's race driver.

"Albert Park is one of my favourite tracks as it is partly a street circuit," reveals Kubica. "I like the track a lot. It's a challenge, with its tight corners and full-throttle sections."

The 22-year old racing driver knows how to cope with the difficult conditions represented by the Australian circuit. There are two factors in particular which make for a massive difference between Albert Park and permanent race tracks: "There isn't much grip and it is quite bumpy," explains Robert. "But there are also numerous run-off areas and that makes things slightly easier."

Nonetheless, when Robert has succeeded in adapting to the track's unique characteristics his work is still far from being complete. "Conditions improve enormously over the course of the weekend," he says. "Yet, this doesn't mean automatic progress as both team and driver have to constantly adapt to the changing conditions. You have to make changes to the car and understand how it will react," Robert concludes.