Kubica: I have a plan in my head

Last years were full of different type of “events”, also on a sporting side. My rally debut was quite emotional but it was related to new experience and learnig process. To test F1 car after six years was a big thing but I have to say I thought will be worse – it will be harder to keep emotions under control. Being back in F1 car cockpit was like “going back home”, like going back to my daily job. The test it’s not a race or race weekend but I was trying to do my own test and to do my job as good as I only can.

It was one of the best moments that day – first laps behind the steering wheel – to feel everything is under control like there was no break [in my career]. It was one of the biggest shocks [for me] behind the wheel and positive moment. After six years without racing [in F1] and with my limitations there were a lot of question marks. I’m the type of person that always want to have everything under control and during the test I was able to get to that point quite quickly. I felt very confident behind the wheel. It wasn’t the same cockpit that I left [in 2011] but many thing there were still similar to what I wanted to use, designed or changed during my last season and it helped. It was a nice “welcome”. I felt like at home. Everything looked familiar and I get familiar feelings. I don’t want to go to much into the details but that cockpit was like made just for me. Many things stayed like it was [in 2011].

To be hones I was working a lot to be prepared and my physical form was never as good as is now – even in “golden times” of my F1 career. My hard work helped a lot. I was ready almost for everything – many things were beyond my control until that day. It turned out it wasn’t so scary and it was not as far as it might seem before the test. It’s quite close and beeing honest I can say that F1 car was the most conducive to drive from all of the cars that I checked after my the accident, with my limitations. It’s a nice surprise.

It’s not the message. When I have a target I will do everything to reach it. F1 car test was my target for last 16 months. I did it. As I said there were a lot of question marks. Now I have almost all the answers – positive answers. I don’t know what future will bring. I’m still doing my “thing” – training hard. Today my bathroom scale showed that my weight is record low. It wasn’t that low even in “golden times” in 2008 when I was quite slim. I’m in good shape and that is the most important thing. There is also a sacrifice, an enthusiasm for work so we will see what the future will bring.

There is a lot of work to do but not as much as it might seem before the tests. From physical form point of view it better than I could expect in the best scenarios. If we are talking about my feelings in the car, in last years I learned a lot about human brain and how limitless it is, and first three laps in Valencia looked like I was out of the car only for a month. I felt “that” behind the wheel, I saw that in my driving and it was one of the best moments, one of the best information I got in last years.

You need to work every day. If you think you reached the target it’s a moment when you are going down. I will continue my work and it all depands on my sporting targets and where I will go. Fans’ imagination and expections – people from motorsport and F1 – just woke up after the tests. I sleep very calmly because I know I can drive F1 car and I’m able do do it fast and consistent and I don’t feel and big problems coming from my limitations. What will be in the future? Where I will appear? what will be a main target for me? I don’t know but I’m still working, just like in last 12 months, in full swing and I will try to do it step by step. The most important thing is to use what I was able to build in last months and calmly wait for another target, that I will be able to reach in the future.

An environment is now much better and many drivers like it much more then in last seasons. The most important thing is drivers again are in fight for every thousand of the second and they are working to make a car a bit faster. This is why we one week one driver has more problem and a week later someone else is struggling. We are again in that place when you need to work to optimize your package. Of course tyres are still playing a big role. Almost all the drivers are struggling to put the tyres in optimal window. Tyres are harder than last years and for the drivers like me and for some of my friends in the paddock is positive thing.

I wasn’t a fan of DRS and I didn’t have a chance to race with it. My last test in Valencia in 2011 was a debut of DRS. I will not even call it an overtaking it just bypassing the slower car. I last season there were a lot of cat and mouse games and even if the driver had a chance to make a move a corner before [DRS zone] during the braking it was better to wait, not to take a risk to destroy the tyres. DRS gives you a chance to minimize the risk or even decrease it to zero and use the higher speed. DRS is still there, zones changed a little bit, new cars are wider, it’s not a problem on most tracks, but as we saw in Monaco it made drivers’ life a little bit complicated. It’s not easy to feel the car’s width and drivers have to get used to it. As I said tyres let them to do a bit more and it’s the best what F1 made this year.

I would like to race with every driver (huge smile) so I don’t have any preferences. It’s hard to say who’s similar driver to me because every driver has his own unique style. Verstappen is phenomenal. It’s an evenement even from historical point of view. Last year he wasn’t irresponsible, he was in the position where you can take some risk. He doesn’t have a car to fight for the tittle so he’s trying to take every opportunity as much as he can. He can a lot. His win in Barcelona – I’m not emotional guy – but when I put myself in his cockpit and looked at this from F1 perspective I think it’s a great piece of history. When I’m thinking how he made it and about the time he had to do this and what road he went and how mature driver he is I have a goosebumps. He is a revelation of last years.