Robert Kubica offered a bleak status report of Williams’ pace after making his first appearance at a Formula 1 weekend during first practice at the Spanish GP on Friday.
The Pole would finish 1.2 seconds ahead of regular driver Lance Stroll after the Canadian ended the morning in the gravel trap at Turn 5, however, the two drivers would still bring up the field in 19th and 20th on the timesheet.
With the aim of evaluating the upgrades the British team has brought in a bid to start turning around their season, the former BMW driver admitted their impact was minimal in the blustery conditions in Barcelona.
“It has been a difficult session for us with difficult balance. Some we were expecting but not as bad. It was a bit of a shock for me,” Kubica told Sky Sports F1.
“I think I did what I was asked and I am happy with what I delivered. I know I’m 19th but sometimes you have to realise that there are priorities and although the conditions and car balance was very, very difficult, I managed to drive well.
“Although, I felt embarrassed when I was driving inside the car because it was so difficult and I felt so slow in some places. But we couldn’t do more.”
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Just to see the 33-year-old’s name back on a timing screen during an official Grand Prix weekend was enough for most, however, but Kubica was quite surprised by how “normal” the experience felt.
“That is a good test for me because you need to understand where is your limits and where is the limit of the car,” he explained.
“I was expecting to have bigger emotions. I had much bigger emotions in the past when I was testing for the first time or even in Abu Dhabi.
“Although I’m not driving often, it is becoming natural. For sure it’s nice to be in an official session of a Grand Prix weekend but it would be nicer to continue.”