A race weekend with… Robert Kubica
BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica may have only started 26 Grands Prix so far in his Formula One career but he has already developed something of a routine when it comes to his race weekend.
We caught up with Kubica in Barcelona, following this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, to get a few tips on his favourite places to stay, the calendar’s top nightlife, who he likes to socialise with during an event and how he winds down after a race…
Q: You don’t take to the track until Friday morning, but when do you like to fly in?
Robert Kubica: I generally arrive on Wednesday evening, since work starts on Thursday morning with the technical meetings and the media time. When it’s an overseas race I arrive at the latest on the Tuesday evening in order to get used to the time change.
Q: Do you make an effort to discover your surroundings at a race, or do you stick to the airport-hotel-track-airport itinerary?
RK: When we were flying to Australia for my first Grand Prix in 2006, my manager told me that he had been there several times but had never seen a kangaroo. I quickly realised that he was right - there’s simply no time for off-track activities.
Q: What’s your exercise regime over a race weekend? Does it vary according to the race location, demands of the circuit etc?
RK: No, there are no specific needs for different tracks. I just eat very simple and light food, personally prepared by my physio, Josef Leberer.
Q: What’s your preferred accommodation at races - city hotel, hotel near the circuit, your own motorhome near the paddock?
RK: I’d rather choose proximity to the race track, rather than the hotel’s number of stars…
Q: Anything you have to have provided in your hotel room, or any luxuries you always bring with you from home?
RK: For me the hotel represents just a bed.
Q: Do you enjoy entertaining friends and family during a race weekend?
RK: Family and friends watch me on TV. Race tracks are my place of work where I have to concentrate on my duties.
Q: We were in Barcelona this weekend, what do you associate with this circuit?
RK: It’s the track where I had my first test in a F1 car in late 2005. I think that my performance on that occasion contributed to me signing my BMW Sauber contract and therefore I consider Montmelo as a ‘positive’ track. And the race this weekend fully supported my sentiment towards this track.
Q: Do you get the chance to go out and socialise on Friday and Saturday night?
RK: Yes, at weekends when I am home.
Q: Any drivers you particularly like hanging out with?
RK: Fernando (Alonso), Giancarlo (Fisichella), Rubens (Barrichello) and Nick (Heidfeld) also.
Q: Your favourite race for nightlife?
RK: Singapore, but unfortunately I think I will be busy….
Q: What’s the best night out you’ve had at a Grand Prix? And have you ever overslept the next morning?
RK: After my first podium in Monza, I drove all night and I reached Krakow I think around 11am Monday morning.
Q: What do you have for breakfast on a race Sunday?
RK: Some fruits and some pasta with oil around 11.30.
Q: How much do you drink over a race weekend? And what?
RK: Just fresh water in the paddock and ‘hot’ water during the race.
Q: How do you spend the morning on race Sunday?
RK: Media time, a Paddock Club appearance, an autograph session, the pre-race debriefing, the drivers’ parade. Then the pit lane eventually opens…
Q: How do you like to get to the circuit on Sunday morning? Do you drive yourself?
RK: Yes, I always do.
Q: How do you like to spend the hour or so before the race? Any superstitions or pre-race rituals you always go through to bring you luck?
RK: No, I am not superstitious.
Q: Do you have a lucky charm?
RK: Not really.
Q: What do you do to stay calm as you’re sat on the grid awaiting the formation lap?
RK: I am generally calm and try to focus on the work the mechanics are doing around me.
Q: How do you wind down after the race?
RK: I start to think about the next one.
Q: If things don’t go your way and you retire early, do you prefer to get away as soon as possible, or hang out and watch the rest of the race?
RK: I watch the race. Moreover, the regulations state that ‘all drivers must remain available until one hour after the end of the race’.
