Robert Kubica has revealed that he will race at Suzuka with a front wing that dates all the way back to winter testing.
That is despite the fact that Williams has boasted not only about solving its spare parts crisis, but about introducing a brand new front wing design in Japan.
It follows Sochi, where Kubica’s sponsor PKN Orlen demanded Williams explain officially why the Pole’s healthy car was retired from the Russian GP. The struggling team said it was conserving spare parts for the last races of 2019.
"You should ask them," Kubica told reporters when asked about Orlen’s demand at Suzuka.
As for the new front wing, it arrived in Japan at the last minute on Thursday but will only be tested in practice.
"The front wing that I will use in the race was used during winter testing in Barcelona," Kubica revealed.
He said Williams has been struggling with a chronic spare parts shortage all season.
"George (Russell) and I avoided doing stupid things throughout the season, which allowed us to hide the problem for a long time," said Kubica.
"Unfortunately, Singapore and Russia showed everyone that the team is not ready for what is called ’racing risks’. Nothing unusual happened - we lost a few front wings, but that can always happen."