Formula One news
Interview with Robert Kubica
13 September 2006After the Italian Grand Prix, all the attention went to Michael Schumacher. But Robert Kubica had an outstanding day at Monza. The Polish driver was next to Schumacher on the podium having finished third in his third Grand Prix. F1Racing.net reporter Stijn Keuris talked to him, before the race in Italy.
Robert, you were test driver for most of the season. Now you are racing. Is life much different?
When you are test driver you have a bit of a different program. Now I do some other stuff but in the end I'm working for the team, to improve the car. Nick and I both benefit from it.
Were you nervous for your first race?
I was quite cool and quiet, getting more and more confidence. The driving is the same as I was used to on Friday. The second part of the race was good. I scored points, or at least I thought so. I was disqualified after the race, for having a underweight car, but I still was satisfied with my performance.
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Niki Lauda said you made a beginner's mistake to not pick up dust on your tyres, to get more weight on the car. Do you agree?
I should have done that, but with driving outside lines and picking up rubber, you don't make up more than the ten kilos I needed. And the track was clean in Hungary.
You took over Jacques Villeneuve's place at BMW. He is out of Formula 1 and disappointed about the situation. Do you feel sorry for him?
If I would say yes, I would be lying. It's life, it's racing. Someone decided that it was good to let me drive and I did it. I think Jacques performed well, at least better than most people were expecting.
Wasn't his situation lost from the beginning of the season? BMW obviously wanted you in the car and seemed to be waiting for the right moment...
I don't know. They kept him for a long time. For me it's not an issue anymore. Maybe for him it is. He is the former world champion, I'm the new guy. We have a different points of view and interest.
So what about next year?
No one has told me anything about next year yet and I'm not thinking about it just yet. I don't like to create expectations. I hope I get a place as a race driver, but I really don't know.
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How was the response in your home country, Poland?
Now there is a big boom. Everyone is getting interested in Formula 1, which is special, as we used to have no interest in motor racing in Poland at all. We don't have any knowledge about Formula 1 with which to sell it to the people. You need people to know about it, to get people interested. If some media give the people the wrong information all the time, the viewers get the wrong idea. People should understand it's a team sport.
Do you count yourself lucky that you are racing in Formula 1 now, while there is, like you say, no interest in Formula 1 in Poland at all?
Of course I'm glad. Many people were laughing about me and at the people who were trying to get a budget for me. Now it doesn't really make a difference where I'm from. It's about getting the good results. At that point, it doesn't matter anymore where you are from.
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