18/06/2017
NEWS STORY
With almost every day that passes the prospect of Robert Kubica making a return to F1 appears ever more likely.
What began as a private test essentially allowing Renault and the Pole to complete some unfinished business, took a different turn when it was revealed that the GP winner had completed 115 laps as he carried out a qualifying and race simulation.
Since then, despite initially under-playing the relevance of the test, Renault - in the form of long-serving trackside operations director Alan Permane - has admitted that Kubica has the pace for a return, while the Pole insists he is fully focussed on such a move.
Speaking to Poland's Eleven Sports, Kubica has ramped up expectations insisting that in addition to having the pace - a fact confirmed by Permane - he is now fitter than ever.
"I had been working a lot on my physical condition," he said. "I have never been so fit, even in my 'golden years' when I was still competing in F1. For example, for the first time in my life my body weight is lower than in 2008.
"Driving an F1 car is not as scary and remote as it seemed to be," he continued. "I can even admit that an F1 car was one of the easiest machines to drive with my limitations after my accident. Now I can sleep better because I know that I can drive a Formula 1 car without any limitations, I can drive quickly and consistently.
"One of the best moments was returning to the pits after my first run when I realised that everything was under control and nothing had changed," he said of the test. After the first three laps it seemed that the break had not lasted more than a month. It was a shock as I had a lot of question marks after so many years.
"I know that the imaginations and expectations of fans and motorsport people were boosted after this test but there is no point in getting overexcited," he admitted. "Time will tell.
"A lot has happened in my life over the past six years, a lot has changed in me," he continued. "I will work to achieve the goal I set for myself and to achieve what I think is within my reach. It is too early to say what it is and whether it will happen. I will prepare myself for the highest goals.
"Two years ago people gave me quite slim chances to return to driving a Formula 1 car but I came back and did it, I think, in style."