The end of the month can't come quickly enough for BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica, who admits that he is longing to get back into a Formula One car and begin preparing for the 2007 season.

The lanky Pole made an immediate impact on the top flight, pacing Friday's practice sessions before getting the call to replace Jacques Villeneuve in the race team, and then claiming a podium result on only his third outing. Already confirmed alongside Nick Heidfeld for 2007, Kubica has mixed emotions about having had to sit out the last month since the Brazilian Grand Prix. He is due to start winter testing at Barcelona on 28 November, running alongside Heidfeld and former Jordan pilot Timo Glock.

"One month without driving is just a bit too much," he told BMW's F1 website, "although the short break was good because, during the past two or three months, I took part in every test session - and the last three races of 2006 took place in overseas locations."

Clearly buoyed by his rapid rise from unheralded World Series by Renault champion in 2005, Kubica is raring to go.

"The season was very good for me," he confirmed, "I started as test driver and then I was promoted to a race seat. Some things could have gone better, but there is no point in coming back to them. The good results in our first season show our potential and, with a good car, we can fight for good results next year."

Kubica's confidence is shared by team-mate Heidfeld, despite the German receiving something of a 'wake-up call' from the Pole's arrival. The German had his option with the team taken up for 2007, and is keen to build on a campaign that also saw him reach the podium.

"I have a fairly good feeling about next year because we were able to continuously improve, and because we have good people in our time and the atmosphere is great," he said, "However, if you know Formula One, you will know how difficult it is to predict the future.

"I am convinced that we will continue to improve in 2007, but the question is how strong are we in comparison with the competition? It's not like it used to be in Formula One. There used to be only a few big teams and then the rest. Nowadays, Formula One practically consists only of big teams."

Testing in Barcelona may not give too many clues as to where BMW Sauber stands in the pecking order for 2007, but it will certainly help one young driver scratch an itch that has been developing over the past few weeks.