Robert Kubica believes his driving ability is about 90% same as before his rally crash in 2011 and said that his fitness is better than ever.
Kubica underwent an exhaustive training regime to get into an excellent physical form before attempting to test drive for Formula 1. He did several test drives for Renault and of late for Williams, hoping to return to F1 racing.
After Kubica’s multiple test drives, Williams is convinced that the Pole’s injuries and physical condition are not a limitation on his ability as a driver.
Kubica said he was surprised by what he could do once he got in the driver’s seat.
Talking to AutoSport, Kubica said: “Honestly, I have much more limitations in my daily life,”
“It’s not the same driving an F1 car as it has been in the past. Still, my limitations are much less than it looks like.
“Ninety percent of my driving is exactly the same as it was in the old days.
“I’m in better shape fitness wise than I was in the past. Now I have to work much harder – age doesn’t help.
“The big difference is the brain. It’s incredible how big potential the brain has and how quickly it can adapt to different conditions.
“Unfortunately I was interrupted in my career. I had several injuries.
“In the end, I learned how to live with them, how to drive an F1 car with them and in the end, I’m quite surprised by the results I saw.”
Kubica is facing stiff competition from Sergey Sirotkin, Daniil Kvyat and Paul di Resta to win the last seat for the next season.
After the Abu Dhabi GP, Kubica and Sirotkin conducted tyre testing for Pirelli and it is said that the Russian ran very close to the Polish driver’s pace, leading to speculation that Sirotkin could also be a favourite for the spot.
Williams chose not to comment on the speculation; except for saying it was just a tyre test.
Kubica is still the favourite to win the seat as he is considered to be the most experienced driver on the shortlist. The British team has not set a deadline to announce their 2018 line up. So it is a ‘wait and watch’ game for all on the shortlist.
