Kubica: Williams 'running out of time’ after missed F1 test work

Robert Kubica concedes Williams is running out of time to complete all the preparation work it needs to be ready for the 2019 Formula 1 season. 

The British squad was absent from the opening two-and-a-half days of running during the first pre-season test after hitting delays with getting its FW42 car ready. 

Williams has since made up for some of the lost time by racking up a significant amount of laps, including the joint-highest mileage on Wednesday as Kubica completed 130 laps.

“It was a productive day from one side but from another side maybe not because time is running out," Kubica said. 

"From a driver point of view, we haven't done any work on the car so there is a lot of things to discover and unfortunately not a lot of time left before our first race.

"It's not like people are not working - we have to keep working, keep improving and sorting out the things. 

“Problems will not help us, so we have to put maximum effort into solving issues. If we have a smooth start to the season, it will help but we really have to put in maximum effort for that. 

“It was a normal day of testing, unfortunately we are running a bit late with our test programme because of the issues we had last week.

"So there are some mixed feelings because, on one hand, it's positive that we did a lot of laps today, but from the other side there isn't a lot of time left.

"We are not in the position we would like to be, especially from my side and from an engineering point of view also, but we are gathering lots of data and checking lots of different stuff.

"I hope in the next few days we will have more time to start playing with the car and seeing how the car reacts to different things."

Asked what he would consider a success after the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Kubica replied: “The biggest success would be ending the weekend knowing that you have done a good job.

"We might not be in the position to fight for results which people might expect. If I'm happy on Sunday evening with everything I did through the weekend, I will be happy.

"I'm quite honest and demanding of myself so if I can achieve satisfaction from the job I did, I will be happy."