Formula One News » Kubica claims early Pirelli success Posted on 08/09/2010
Renault’s Robert Kubica has claimed Pirelli’s first ‘Formula One’ victory more than six months before the Italian tyre firm turns a wheel in the top flight.
Pirelli recently signed a three-year agreement to supply F1, GP2 and GP3, but remains fully committed to rallying at both national and international level and that allowed Kubica – whose only F1 win came at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix – the chance to claim two-wheel drive victory on the Rally d’Alpi Orientali last weekend.
Driving a Pirelli-shod Renault Clio Super 1600, the Pole succeeded in notching up his first class victory in rallying, achieved over the course of a 14-stage, three-day Italian national championship event featuring more than 167 competitive kilometres. Kubica’s car was equipped with Pirelli’s PZero asphalt tyres, which proved to be both fast and reliable.
“I just came here to have fun really,” said the 25-year old, who was placed 13th overall, “I have to be careful not to risk too much, as F1 is my real job, but I love the challenge of adapting to rallying.”
The event, held in difficult mixed conditions in the north-east of Italy, proved to be an extremely successful weekend for Pirelli. As well as Kubica’s Super 1600 and two-wheel drive victory, Pirelli also won the rally overall with Paolo Andreucci in a Peugeot 207 S2000, Group N4 with Andrea Perego in a Mitsubishi, and Group R3 with Pierre Campana in another Renault Clio.
“It’s great that we’ve got our F1 campaign off to such a successful early start by taking this class win with Robert Kubica,” Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery commented, “The performance of our PZero tyres in difficult conditions enabled a driver who is still finding his feet in rallying to take this very satisfying result and we look forward once again to making our presence felt strongly in both racing and rallying in the future.”
Kubica is back in action – on Bridgestone rubber – at this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, and will look to emulate the podium finish he recently took with the now F-duct enabled R30 in Belgium.
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