In Lone Star Le Mans almost everything went according to plan for Kubica and his teammates. First there were successful training sessions, then the second starting position won in qualifying and finally the race, in which they managed to avoid collisions and penalties from the judges.
What was the key to success? – We chose a slightly different tyre strategy. It allowed us to better understand what we could do later in the race. It was a good decision. I was sure it would work and it did – Kubica said at the post-race press conference in Austin.
WATCH VIDEO: He was supposed to compete with Zmarzlik. So far, he can’t come close to him
The AF Corse driver maintained second place after the start. He needed a dozen or so minutes to overtake Antonio Giovinazzi and dictate the pace in Lone Star Le Mans as the leader. – The key issue was that we had a small problem with the tires during this run (it concerns too low tire pressure – author’s note). We had to react to it. That’s why I overtook Antonio and had to push to solve the problem – explained the Krakow driver, who, thanks to fast driving, heated up the tires more and increased the pressure in the wheels.
The normalization of the tire pressures allowed the No. 83 crew to avoid a penalty from the stewards. However, it had an impact on the tire tactics in the following hours of the race. “We had to change the tire strategy. We had a long discussion about what was best for us. I tried to present my ideas, but it’s never easy. You have your plan and it seems that everything is going according to plan, until suddenly everything turns upside down,” Kubica added.
The Pole spent two hours in the car. He handed the Ferrari over to Yifei Ye when his advantage over the next crew was over 15 seconds. The Chinese driver did not have such a good pace and began to regularly lose to his rivals from Toyota. At the end of his run, the two cars were separated by just 0.5 seconds. – We chose a safe strategy. Yifei had four hard tires, which was not the best option from the point of view of pace, but it was the safest – explained Kubica.
The last to get into the Ferrari 499P was Robert Shwartzman, who lost the leading position early in his run. However, luck favored AF Corse, as Toyota’s Kamui Kobayashi ignored the yellow flags and received a drive-through penalty. This was the decisive moment of the race, which allowed Kubica’s team to return to the front of the field.
– From the outside it looked like a fairly easy win. However, I have to say that during my second run I was constantly talking on the radio for about 15 minutes while riding. We always try to give our all and support our teammates, hence the constant conversations and discussions. In this respect, we did a great job of teamwork – added the 39-year-old.
Kubica also returned to the events of June, when the team “felt” that the victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans “slipped out of their hands” due to a technical failure. Therefore, the victory in Austin, Texas is a small consolation prize for the AF Corse crew.
– It’s something special. It was a difficult race, but for me it’s also the end of a very successful week. Last Sunday I won the European Championship (ELMS) race in Belgium, so it’s a good feeling because I triumphed there for the third time in my fourth start – Kubica summed up.
Read also:
– Brutal driving by an F1 driver! He got it
– Italy in euphoria. What did Ferrari do?!
