Former Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica completed his first ever WEC test on Sunday at the Bahrain International Circuit, where he managed to set competitive times as he considers switching to the endurance series next year.
Kubica sustained a serious injury to his right-wrist during a rally crash in 2011, ending his F1 career and forcing him to switch to rallying full-time. However due to a lack of funding, he competed in just one rally this year and is now looking elsewhere for a drive.
The Polish driver got behind the wheel of the ByKolles CLM-AER P1/01 privateer LMP1 car for 27 laps and managed to lap faster than regular driver Pierre Kaffer managed at the same circuit on Friday during practice.
Kubica's best time of 1m47.222s was more than half a second better than Kaffer managed.
However Kubica has yet to decide whether WEC is the right move for him, given his injuries and the need for a special setup to allow him to get the most out of the car – which is difficult given LMP1 cars are shared.
"It was not easy," he told Sportscar365. "Fortunately it worked out pretty well and I was quite comfortable in the car, not 100 percent, but I could drive still.
"For sure because of my limitations, endurance races are quite difficult because there are driver changes which you have to do as fast as possible. You cannot build up your cockpit around yourself.
"If I drive by myself, I will put the pedals like I want, steering wheel like I want, or let’s say like I need, because in the end, it’s not because I wake up I say, 'I want this,' but it’s mainly because of my arm. This is a reality I cannot change," he explained.
"That was the reason I am here, just to say, ‘Okay, I go home with an idea that I know if I have this, this and this, I can do it.’ If I don’t have this, I can still do it, but I will not do it 100 percent and I don’t want to do it if there is no possibility for me to express myself as best I can."
