Robert Kubica quipped that the most exciting part of his Chinese Grand Prix came prior to the start, when he spun on the formation lap.
Williams has endured a difficult start to 2019 with its FW42 off the pace of its midfield opponents, leaving Kubica and team-mate George Russell scrapping at the back.
Kubica lined up from 18th on the grid but did so in the wake of a spin through Turn 6 on the formation lap.
He went on to classify a twice-lapped 17th, having made a solitary stop compared to two-stopping Russell, with Kubica compromised by a slow tyre change.
“The most exciting moment of the race for me was when I spun on the formation lap,” he said.
“I tried to put heat into the tyres and I lost the car going slow in Turn 6.
“I then had a good start and I went to the inside line but honestly, I didn’t want to risk anything. I was close to one of the Racing Points and I was on the inside and I didn’t know if he would tighten the line, so I left enough space and lost two places there.
“It is difficult to risk something when you know the pace will be what it will be.”
Russell stressed that Williams must keep pushing in its quest to bounce back from its current malaise.
“The pace was slightly better than expected, we were battling in the opening couple of laps and we managed to stay with the pack,” he said.
“Once things settled down, the gaps started to open, and it was a fairly lonely race for me.
“We were struggling with the tyres in the middle stint of the race, and the lap times were dropping off, so it was the right choice to pit for a second time.
“At the end of the day this is where we are at the moment, we must keep pushing and keep working.”
Discussion about this post