Theissen says no rift with Kubica

BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen has played down talk of a team rift with Robert Kubica - but admits the team and driver do share concerns about the progress they have made this year.

Kubica voiced worries in Monza last weekend about the way he felt the team were not pushing for the world championship as much as he believed they should. He said he felt at times he was the only one in the team who still believed they could win the title.

His comments prompted reports over the Italian Grand Prix that his relationship with the team had broken down completely, and there were even wild claims he could face sanctioning by the team for his remarks.

But Theissen has said that the situation is nowhere near as bad as had been reported, and any friction between the team and Kubica are purely the result of the Pole's competitive instincts.

And, after holding two clear-the-air sessions with Kubica at Monza to go through any differences they had, Theissen thinks both Kubica and the team are agreed in what areas they must improve.

"We sat down twice over the Monza weekend and spent quite some time together," Theissen told autosport.com about the team's relationship with Kubica. "They (the reports of a rift) have been totally exaggerated.

"Robert was disappointed after the Spa race and he made some comments which were then turned into much harsher press statements. Then, after that, I was asked about the situation in Monza, and my comments were turned into harsh statements as well.

"I was asked in a Friday (press) briefing if the driver could be given a penalty for comments like this, and my answer was: 'I don't talk about contractual content'. The journalist then wrote that Theissen does not rule out a penalty!

"It just tells you that this is made out of almost nothing. There is certainly an issue we have to discuss, and it is about performance of the car. We have not developed as strongly as we expected. We have discussed this several times and I am sure we will keep up the discussions with Robert."

When asked if he felt the fact Kubica was so hard on the team was simply the result of his characteristic of being so tough on himself, Theissen said: "He has a competitive desire, but we have as well."

Kubica's third place finish in Monza has lifted him back into championship contention, and Theissen has promised the Pole that his team will do all they can to keep those title ambitions alive.

"The entire season has been up and down, and what we saw at Monza was amazing. So anything can happen and we will certainly push. If there is a chance we will take it."

Highly motivated Hoops break out