Kubica calls for Williams to be 'realistic' with goals

Robert Kubica has stressed the need for Williams to be "realistic" with its goals for the 2019 Formula 1 season, saying it cannot be distracted by the performance and advancements made by its midfield rivals.

Williams was forced to miss the first two-and-a-half days of pre-season testing in Barcelona earlier this week due to delays in the build of its new FW42 car, with Kubica only getting his first run-out on Thursday morning.

The delayed debuted was a fresh setback for Williams following a difficult 2018 season that saw it slump to the foot of the constructors' championship, at a time when F1's midfield is growing in strength amid closer ties to front-running teams.

Speaking in Barcelona, Kubica said Williams could not be distracted by the strength of its rivals, instead prioritising its own operations heading into the new campaign.

"It looks like the field is very strong, which I think is a bit normal looking in which technical directions a few people are going," Kubica said.

"But we have to concentrate on ourselves. We have to target a realistic target, and we have to target a smooth start to the season. It didn’t really happen, but we have to go forward and we have to make sure we have a smooth start to the season.

"I think the team needs positive days, whatever the performance will be first we need to make sure we are doing our best and then we can concentrate on performance.

"We don’t have to look too much at the others, we have to make sure we do our best and we’ll see.”

Kubica will return to the Williams FW42 car for the start of the second F1 pre-season test on Tuesday in Barcelona, having also completed a filming day on Friday to try and make up for some of the lost running.