Robert Kubica admits he is still playing catch up with the FW42, as Williams enjoyed another successful day of testing on Wednesday.

The Pole matched Carlos Sainz for the most laps by a single driver with 130 on the board around the Barcelona track, albeit still over three seconds off the pace set by the Spaniard using the same tyres.

“Unfortunately we are running a bit late with our test programme because of last week’s issue so it’s a few mixed feelings," Kubica commented.

“On one it’s positive that we did a lot of laps, but from the other side, we’re missing a lot of time so we are not in the position we want to be, especially from my side and an engineering point of view."

Given the reliability and the baseline of the 2019 car does appear pretty solid, the 34-year-old is hoping it will give Williams chance to expediate their testing plans

“We are doing a lot of data gathering, checking a lot of stuff," he continued. “I hope the next few days we will have a bit of time to start playing with the car and see how the car reacts to different things.

“Going to Australia without a lot of testing is not helping, but that’s the reality. I have to make sure I maximise my time in the car.”

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An important element of Kubica's comeback is how his limitations in his right arm will cope over a full season, and whether it will hamper his performance.

“It feels good,” the former BMW driver insists. “I feel I’m in the position where I should be.

“Again, driving more will help because in the end, you can prepare as much as you like in doing exercises, but driving an F1 is a different story.

“The body will adapt and react and we did a lot of laps today without any issues, so I’m happy from a physical point of view.”