Kubica: Teams must be ready from day one

Robert Kubica fears the newly-imposed ban on in-season testing may have a dramatic effect on next year’s Formula One title race.

BMW Sauber star Kubica believes any team able to find the right set-up from the start will have a distinct advantage. Conversely, a team that struggles to adapt to the new regulations, in particularly with regard to the radical aerodynamics, will be on the back foot and playing catch-up.

With no test sessions between races, those teams will be forced to wait until Friday practice ahead of grands prix to run the rule over any new parts.

The testing ban is a small but significant part of the measures designed to cut costs in a sport which was becoming “unsustainable”, according to FIA president Max Mosley.

Asked if there would be little chance to alter things if teams fail to make an impression from the start, Kubica said: “Yes, that might be the case, so it is very important for us to start the right way.

“With all these new regulations that have to be implemented next season it was paramount to start early. Now I think the work of engineers and designers will become more important in the workshop because until now we have always had the opportunity to test before using anything.

“But now the importance of simulation work and the wind tunnel will increase, to make sure that what you put on the car is giving you the results you want.

“Of course, driver input can be important and have some influence, but in the end I don’t design the car, we have experts for that in the factory.

“My guess is we will see bigger gaps between the teams, and the team that is in the front at the beginning will stay at the front for longer.

“For the teams who don’t get it right, who don’t start on the right foot, it will take longer to catch up, and that will have a big influence on how the championship develops.”

Of key concern to Kubica is the development of KERS, the Kinetic Energy Recovery System, a device designed to convert lost energy under braking into an extra burst of speed per lap.

However, many of the teams are struggling to implement it into next year’s car, including BMW Sauber.

Speaking to the Official Formula One website, Kubica added: “From my personal point of view – as I am a tall and heavy driver – it is not really positive.

“The weight of KERS is quite influential, especially when it comes to weight distribution, so it is limiting me quite a lot.

“It is nice when you press it as you feel an additional boost, so yes it works.

“But we have to see, closer to the first race, which configuration (with or without KERS) is the quicker one.”