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Kubica plays down chances

Robert Kubica does not expect to be as competitive in Turkey © Sutton Images

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• Race:
• Turkish Grand Prix

• Drivers:
• Robert Kubica

• Teams:
• Renault

Robert Kubica says he does not expect Renault to be as competitive in Turkey as it was in Monaco, where the Pole qualified on the front row before finishing third.

"The race in Monaco was our strongest performance so far this season, but it's important that this result doesn't make us overoptimistic because I think it will be difficult to repeat that pace this weekend," said Kubica. "However, I still think we can be competitive in Turkey because the circuit characteristics are similar to Barcelona where we had good performance from the car.

"I'm also hoping that the new updates we have for this race will help us close the gap and qualify a little bit higher up than we did in Barcelona."

Kubica, who lies joint sixth in the drivers' standings with Lewis Hamilton, admitted he has been surprised by the amount of points the team has scored so far this season.

"We had some idea during winter testing of what the car was capable of, we understood its strengths and we worked on maximising them. But I'm still a bit surprised to have scored so many points, which shows what a good job we are doing as a team. We have taken the opportunities that have come our way, especially in unusual races like Australia or the wet qualifying session in Malaysia.

"We've also taken our opportunities when the car has been strong, as we did in Monaco. So I think we can be very pleased with what we have achieved and proud of all the hard work at the factory to bring new parts for the car every weekend. But we know there is still a long way to go this season and we need to continue pushing hard and improving the car."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.