Robert Kubica insists there is no rift between himself and Williams after another angry reaction after the Japanese Grand Prix.
Having been forced to retire in Sochi due to a lack of spares, the Pole was frustrated after a new front wing, which he claimed hugely improved his car, was taken off on Sunday.
These were just the latest examples of the frustration that has already led Kubica to announce his departure after this season, but he says the relationship is still strong.
“I never questioned the team, I just questioned their way of deciding things,” he said via Motorsport Week in Mexico.
“I think we are all on the same boat. I have shown many times, not only in this season, that I’m a guy who understands the sport pretty well, and not only from a driver point of view.
“I felt like some things could be handled differently with just talking instead of doing it in a different way.
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“For sure what happens is not affecting how is my relationship with the people I am working with,” Kubica added.
“I have big respect for the people who are working there to make it work.
“Of course sometimes we are limited with the tools we have, but this is how it is and probably I have even more respect because I know how is the situation and that is why the people, they are not giving up and the guys are pushing really hard.
“They really are doing an amazing job for what we have.”
As for Kubica’s plans for 2020, nothing is yet confirmed with the one-time Grand Prix looking to continue racing but also have a presence in F1.
So far his main option for the latter is at Haas, with the American outfit confirming they are in talks.
“We are speaking, speaking about a role in our team as a test [driver],” said team principal Guenther Steiner.
“We need to develop the simulator still, we are at a decent point, but we need to make the next step as well, and he [Kubica] is for sure one of the most qualified to do that, so that’s what we are discussing.”
One request Robert has made to such a role though is ensuring some track time rather than being stuck in the virtual world.
“All of our simulator drivers have in-car time because they have to go back and correlate the simulator work that the car is doing,” the Haas chief noted.
“Otherwise, there is no point in doing anything else.”