Intelligent drivers who can run fast through an entire grand prix, and not just over a lap or two, are doing better under the 2010 regulations, Robert Kubica is saying today.
Funny, isn’t it, that the Renault driver is doing so much better this season than last. That can’t be behind this at all, can it?
The comments, which I think are pretty interesting, come via Autosport.
“This year the trends have been different,” said Kubica, who has helped his Renault team emerge as one of the surprises of the season so far.
“This year it is very important to take care of the tyres and somehow drive in the clever way – not just push for two or three laps because then the tyres degrade.
“Now we need to think about bringing the car as quickly as possible to the finish line at the end of the race – not as quickly as possible for one or two laps.
“So somehow you have to anticipate some balance changes, or pressure or differential settings to help the tyres in order to give you a better race time distance.”
His statements, which I can’t help but think are a bit self-aggrandizing, speak to that subtler level of F1 racing, which resides somewhere among racecraft, strategy and good engineering. You know, the part of F1 that’s still interesting even at a race like Bahrain. And the part that we don’t get to see enough of? (In various people’s defense, including F1 and the TV channels, it’s probably an ephemeral beast, difficult to capture.)
Any moments so far this year stand out as support for Bobby K’s pronouncements? Jenson Button’s wins? Lewis Hamilton’s inability to pass Adrian Sutil after tearing up the grid… and his tires?
