We have the opportunity to compare two championships at the pinnacle of motorsports, Formula 1 & the World Rally Championship, thanks to the experience of Robert Kubica – who misses... well, the organization of the ‘Circus.’
The World Rally Championship has reached its forty-second edition – a long history, therefore, involving many prominent names. In recent times, however, there are few drivers who can boast of experience at the top class of both forms of motorsport – on the racetrack, and in the field of rallying. In recent years, the transition of Kimi Raikkonen to rallying has been featured in the headlines, but having collected more disappointment than results, the Finnish driver has decided to return (successfully) to F1.
Now the spotlight has turned to Robert Kubica, the Polish talent whose F1 career got cut short by an accident at a relatively small race event – the Andora Rally in 2011. In a strange twist of fate, this has led to him to try his hand at rallying full time – first nationally, then globally. Last year, he proved himself good enough to win the WRC2 world title. This year, Kubica fights for overall classification in the WRC (collecting several incidents so far) in a Ford Fiesta WRC. This makes him one of the few drivers able to compare racing and rallying at the highest levels. Here’s how he describes his experience:
Drivers involved in the WRC seem to live with ‘their suitcase in hand,’ even more than those of F1 – is it more tiring?
It’s not easy to compare these two different worlds. A round of the World Rally Championship lasts longer, because – between doing recces and competing in the rally – it’s a seven-day commitment. In Formula 1, each Grand Prix consists of only three days of work on the track. If we consider the purely physical effort, in F1 the races last around two hours – and this is the time in which the driver’s concentration must be at the maximum. It’s very hard, but after this effort, everything is over. In the World Rally Championship, there are days with eight or ten special stages, some almost as long as 50 kilometres each. So, having finished one, you still know that half-an-hour later another one begins – so, in order not to lose focus, you have to measure out a lot of mental energy. There are tricks that, over time, each driver adopts in order not to waste energy during transfers or stops – because, otherwise at the end of the day, you’ll be much too tired.
Let’s move to the technical aspects – is there a difference in the contribution of the driver?
A lot. There is a difference in both the development of the car, and in the preparation for a race. An F1 driver is in close contact with his race engineer and the technical staff. In the WRC, this aspect is of secondary importance. I think the difference is due to the two disciplines. On track, you have to maximize every detail – both in the development of the car, and in the preparation of a race. In rallying, the key aspect is the ability to tackle any condition. During WRC rallies, which are much longer than those of other leagues, a driver must be ready to face different road surfaces and very different environmental conditions. Sometimes, the road surface goes from dry, to rain, to snow – so, you can’t prepare with as much detail in advance.
Talking about the organization – both the championships are managed by the FIA, so one would think they would have similar rules...
Despite its strengths and weaknesses, Formula 1 is a championship at the highest-level and the insiders are very professional. This is partly due to the budget available, which is higher than that of rallying. If I think of my experiences, I remember extreme attention being paid to the details in F1 – also in regards to the organizational aspects. For every problem, there is a person responsible to fix it. Also, the dialogue between the FIA and the drivers is well managed. A rally is much more spartan. I cannot say that they are any worse organized than in F1, because management of a WRC event is tremendously more complex than that of a racetrack event. However, the attention to detail is less.
In F1, there are famous technical directors – with similar salaries to the top drivers. Is it like that in the WRC as well?
There are no technical stars. Budgets are lower. Experience is very important, and this solves more problems than you can imagine. Having a team of skilled people is essential. The downside is that the style of working appears to be a bit old-fashioned to me. F1 methodologies are more modern, and young talented engineers can make an important contribution despite their lack of experience.
In regards to the relationships with other drivers, which one do you prefer – the Formula 1 circus or the WRC atmosphere?
Today, in F1, there are only 22 drivers – and those are the only ones in the world who are able to drive those cars. This creates the conditions for a huge rivalry, and everyone is constantly under scrutiny – especially in comparison with his teammate. In rallying, there is a larger group – where there are drivers who compete in different classes, others who only take part in some rallies – a more heterogeneous group that creates less negative competition, and in which you have many more personal relationships. Of course, even in rallying there are the ‘big’ drivers – but most people are not direct rivals, and so the atmosphere benefits a lot. There is also a practical aspect to this. Right from a young age, a single-seater championship driver operates in a ‘personal’ territory. Every driver, even within the same team, has his own personal space in the tent, or in the pits. He discusses technical aspects with his own engineer, and doesn’t see the other drivers if not on the track. In rallies, there are many occasions to be together with the other drivers. When there are replenishments to group crews, there’s a standstill for 20 to 30 minutes and you’re alone with the other drivers – so, you automatically speak to each other and compare notes.
Is experience as important in both categories?
I’ve become convinced that experience is the component with the greatest weight. On the track, even at the start of my career, there was the opportunity to prepare for each test – with the telemetry data from the previous season, and increasingly sophisticated simulators – it’s a great help.
In the world of rallying, this cannot be done. A driver shapes himself year-after-year. He can only try to imagine the terrain, but he will never have the certainty of anticipating the huge number of variables. Experience is the added value that allows you to anticipate a critical situation, and find a solution – knowing what kind of tyres must be used in certain cases enables you to direct the team in the right direction.
In rallying, is the driver more important than the car?
This is a very difficult question, because the number of variables are very different. In F1, for example, when I used to feel there was a setup problem, finding a solution together with the engineers was a priority. With a rally car, I may find that the setup and disposition of the car is very wrong for a particular stage but perfect for the next one – because the terrain will change. The driver is required to find the best compromise not for just 4 or 5 kilometres on the track, but 100 kilometres on a stage.
The life of a WRC driver seems to be less oppressive than that of an F1 driver.
Following a rally is much more difficult than attending a race on a racetrack, both for the audience and the media. F1 has a much higher number of journalists. In the circus, then everything is much more structured. In rallies, as well as in the WRC, there are less people. But without careful management, as you have during a Grand Prix, you end up having to repeat the same thing six or seven times to many journalists at different times. Perhaps, the aspect that I miss the most about F1 is the organizational structure.
In the race for the full season
Kubica is pictured here in action in his Ford Fiesta WRC – in which he’s competing this year at the highest level of the WRC. On the right, the Polish driver talks with one of the technicians of his team – RK M-Sport
The current season
VOLKSWAGEN IS POISED TO WIN ONCE AGAIN
The World Rally Championship 2014 seems an internal matter for the Volkswagen drivers, because of the current superiority of the Polo WRC car. Success at the three rallies held so far has been divided among the team’s top two drivers – Ogier won in Monte Carlo, Latvala (pictured below) won in Sweden, and Ogier won again in Mexico. However, performance from the novice team of Hyundai has been good. In the third race, Thierry Neuville (directly below, in Sweden), finished in third place – an encouraging result for a car like the i20 WRC, which is still in need of development.
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