He may now be in his third season in
Formula 1, but
Robert Kubica statistically deemed the most impressive driver of 2008 to-date is preparing to take part in his first German Grand Prix at Hockenheim this weekend, as he endeavours to re-launch his championship bid.
The BMW-Sauber star made his top flight debut for the Munich and Hinwil-based outfit just seven days after the 2006 German Grand Prix, being brought in to replace Jacques Villeneuve on the pretext of the French-Canadian having sustained an injury at Hockenheim.
Such was Kubica's form in Hungary, however finishing inside the points before being disqualified when his car was subsequently found to be underweight due to excessive tyre wear that Villeneuve would never return.
From that moment on, indeed, the 23-year-old has never looked back, and he enters the tenth round of the 2008
F1 World Championship campaign keen to put a disappointing British Grand Prix behind him spinning out two-thirds of the way through the rain-lashed race at
Silverstone and get back to his pre-Magny-Cours form seriously giving
Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes something to think about.
In 2006 I had the opportunity to drive at Hockenheim in free practice on the Friday, Kubica related, but this will be my first Formula 1 grand prix there although I did race at the circuit in F3.
We weren't there last year, so I think it will be a very special weekend for our team and especially for
BMW and all the BMW fans. We always try our best.
It is the kind of track with different kinds of corners, although not really high-speed corners. The only one that is quite quick is when you enter the stadium, where there is always a special atmosphere.
I know corner one is pretty quick, but not really a long corner. There are some quite short corners with only one line you can take through them.
