GreenBkk.com Formula 1 | Kubica urges caution as Renault aim high

Kubica urges caution as Renault aim high

Robert Kubica has preached a note of caution to Renault owner Gerard Lopez after he expressed his wish for the team to "fight for podiums and victories" this season.

Renault unveiled their new car, the R31, on Monday - resplendent in black and gold livery given Lotus' arrival as title sponsor, reminiscent of the 1970s and 1980s when Lotus were backed by JPS.

Team principal Eric Boullier revealed the team first started work on the challenger last February, almost unheard of in F1 circles, hence Lopez's high expectations.

But as the man who steps inside the cockpit, Kubica knows only too well lofty ambitions on day one can often result in embarrassment.

"When you blow a lot of air into a balloon, it can explode very easily," said Kubica.

"Gerard has his view, and maybe he knows something more than me, but I've learned from past years that in January you can expect everything, negative or positive.

"The perfect example was in 2008 with BMW when we were hoping for podiums and victories, then we put the car on the track and we were more than two seconds behind to the front after the first test.

"But one and a half months later, at the first grand prix of the season in Australia, we were on the front row, so it shows things can change very quickly.

"The most important thing is we have a smooth start to testing, we concentrate on improving the car and not solving problems, and then we hope this car has potential."

Kubica and Renault certainly appeared to punch above their weight last year as the Pole finished a creditable eighth in the Drivers' standings, climbing onto the podium on three occasions.

Yet, according to Kubica, that was "quite disappointing", simply due to the expectations that were aired a year ago at the launch of the 2010 car.

"Realistically speaking it is far too early to say what is possible to achieve this season," added Kubica.

"It was mentioned so often at last year's launch about the prospect of winning races, so the season was quite disappointing. Let's hope this year will be different.

"Definitely we are more prepared this year because of the more stable situation within the team compared to last winter when it was very difficult.

"But this time around the engineers and designers have had much more time to design the car, and they've done a really good job.

"But you've no idea what your main competitors have done, and if they've done a better job than us then it will be difficult to achieve something more.

"From my point of view I'll try to deliver, to extract the maximum from the package, and let's hope for good results."

Credit: PlanetF1.com (www.planetf1.com)