Kubica posts 1:39.485 on hypersoft tyre; Pole a tenth quicker than Stroll managed on Tuesday; Completes 128 laps in total
Friday 17 April 2020 09:15, UK
Robert Kubica posted Williams' best time of the post-season Abu Dhabi Pirelli tyre test as he rounded off his third outing for the team.
The Pole posted a best time of 1:39.485 to place him seventh in the timesheet, and was a tenth quicker than Lance Stroll managed on the same hypersoft tyre on Tuesday.
Kubica drove 28 laps during the final two hours of Wednesday's running to add to the 100 laps he managed on Tuesday, after which he had said he felt "confident and comfortable".
This test is being viewed as Williams' final check on whether the Pole is physically able to make a full-time return to F1 in 2018.
Sebastian Vettel topped the timesheet for Ferrari with a 1:37.551 while Abu Dhabi GP winner Valtteri Bottas was second, less than a second ahead of Kubica although fuel levels in testing are unknown.
Russian Sergey Sirotkin also tested for Williams on Wednesday and recorded a best time of 1:39.947 on the soft tyre, which was 1.3 seconds quicker than Kubica had managed on the same compound on Tuesday.
Kubica is attempting to return to F1 next season, having suffered life-threatening injuries in a rally crash in 2011, and is the leading candidate to replace the retired Felipe Massa at Williams.
He drove two tests for the team last month in their 2014 car but these two days running in Abu Dhabi were his first experience of the 2017 FW40. He had previously completed three tests for his former team Renault over the summer.
His 100 laps on Tuesday was nearly double an Abu Dhabi GP race distance and the 32-year-old believed he was making good progress with each test.
"I am starting from scratch because F1 has changed so much over the past seven years, but the experience I gained while racing in F1 has helped me to get on top of the learning process," he said after day one.
"I have some limitations and I have to adapt, but one positive thing is how my body is reacting and how natural I feel every day when I am driving these cars, so that gives me a lot of confidence."
