Robert Kubica: “We are taking a bit of a jump into the unknown with the new regulations”

Robert Kubica says the stakes are higher for all teams and drivers heading into the new Formula 1 season thanks to the aerodynamic regulation changes that have come into effect for the 2022 campaign.

Kubica, the reserve driver for the Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN outfit, says everyone will be jumping into the unknown thanks to the rule changes, and it will be important that the team are working as hard as they can to ensure they can start the year strongly.

The Polish racer says his role will see him help the development of the C42, which was officially unveiled to the world on Sunday, particularly with how crucial margins of improvements are likely to be in 2022 as teams up and down the paddock begin to understand how to make the regulations work in their favour.

As part of his reserve driver role, Kubica participated in the first day of pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya earlier this month, running the morning session before handing over to race driver Valtteri Bottas, although technical issues restricted him to just nine laps.

“The start of a new season is always a time where expectations, hopes and plans come together: this year, the stakes are even higher as we are taking a bit of a jump into the unknown with the new regulations,” said Kubica.  

“There has been an incredible amount of work that went into this car, the C42, and I am looking forward to seeing what the team can achieve with it.

“In my role, I am aiming to provide as much help as possible in the development of this car: we know how big the margins of improvement are at this stage in the lifetime of a car and we know that each upgrade can make a difference, so the work we do back at base is going to be crucial to deliver results trackside.”