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Formula One
F1: Kubica Keeping Expectations Tempered
Robert Kubica is taking his solid start to 2010 in stride...
Adam Cooper  | http://www.speedtv.com  |  Posted May 04, 2010   Balen (BEL)
The 2011 driving destination of Robert Kubica remains a topic of discussion. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Robert Kubica is keeping his expectations in check despite Renault’s unexpectedly strong start to the season.

Kubica lies seventh in the World Championship, having finished in the top five in the last three races. However, he is not expecting the team to make a big leap forward soon. Renault is bringing a relatively modest package of updates to Spain, having already rushed through mods for earlier races.

“The whole team is working hard and it’s good that we’re making the most of our opportunities in the races,” said Kubica. “But it’s important to remain realistic because we still need some big steps to be at the front of the grid and fighting consistently with Red Bull and McLaren in normal conditions. The next race in Barcelona will be another big test for us because the return to Europe is usually a turning point in the season with many teams planning big upgrades to their cars.

“It’s something we always expect in Barcelona and a lot of the teams have big expectations for their new packages. We are not planning to bring any huge updates, but we will keep gradually improving the car, just like we did during the first four races. We have to wait and see how we compare with the others; maybe the order of the teams will be quite different compared to the start of the year.

“It’s the sort of circuit that all the drivers and teams know back to front so I’m expecting a very tough battle. All the teams will be very well prepared and usually get close to their potential so it’s important that we maximize our performance so that we can fight for points in the race.”
Robert Kubica hopes his team can keep its early-season form in Spain. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Nevertheless Kubica admits he’s been surprised by what the team has achieved thus far in 2010.

“I think we should take a lot of positives from the first four races," he said. "If you had said to me at the start of the season, or even after Bahrain, that I would have scored 40 points and three top-five finishes, I would have been more than happy.

“However, at the same time there has still been some frustration, especially in Shanghai where the safety car in the middle of the race definitely cost me a podium. But you have to accept that this is part of racing. Sometimes the luck goes your way and sometimes against you.”

Adam Cooper notched up his 25th season as a racing journalist in 2009. Born in London, England, he saw his first F1 race at age 10 in 1976. He began freelancing for Autosport magazine in 1985 and was on the fulltime staff from 1987-92. He then went freelance again, initially spending two years in Japan before following the 1994 Champcar series from a base in Indianapolis. He has not missed a Grand Prix since Suzuka ‘94, a run that has extended to Abu Dhabi ’09. Adam has written books about Eddie Irvine, Piers Courage and Michael Schumacher and hosts a race preview show on Sirius XM. He has written about F1 for SPEEDtv.com since 2005. Check out Adam's Blog or follow him on Twitter

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