• European Grand Prix

Kubica looking to close gap to Mercedes

Robert Kubica is confident of a strong showing in Valencia © Getty Images

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• Race:
• European Grand Prix

• Drivers:
• Robert Kubica
• |
• Vitaly Petrov

• Teams:
• Renault

Robert Kubica is confident that new upgrades will enable Renault to further close the gap to their rivals when Formula One travels to Valencia for the European Grand Prix.

"The gap to the front of the field is not so big, but we still have to gain a lot of ground, and we can only do that if we keep pushing and keep working," said Kubica. "We will have a new package on the car this weekend, and we hope that will bring us another step forward. But every team will be bringing updates, so it will depend how much they bring and how much they improve. In Valencia, anything could happen, and we need to wait and see if the order is shuffled and how we will perform compared to Mercedes."

Kubica also thinks he will be one of a minority of drivers who enjoy driving the Valencia circuit when the action begins on Friday.

"I know a lot of other drivers don't think the same way, but I enjoy driving there. It's quite an interesting circuit because it's half-street circuit, half-modern circuit. The characteristics are quite similar to Canada, because most of the corners are slow speed, so you concentrate on braking stability and good traction - which should suit our car because we are strong in these areas. We run a higher level of downforce than in Canada, but you still need good aerodynamic efficiency because the speeds are high at four points of the lap.

"The main difference will be with the asphalt: in Montreal, the track surface was new and very slippery, whereas I think the grip levels will be better in Valencia - but that will be the same for everybody."

Team-mate Vitaly Petrov, who won at Valencia in GP2, thinks that his added experience of the circuit will give him a better base to start from than in Canada.

"Yes, of course, because I won the race there last year - and also because I know all of the tricks in terms of the braking points, the line, where you can use the kerbs and even how the tyres will perform and degrade during the race," said Petrov. "Of course, it will be different again in an F1 car, so it will still be a big challenge to put together a good performance all the way through the weekend, but I will be starting from a better baseline than in Canada."

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