Renault’s Managing Director, Cyril Abiteboul, has admitted that Robert Kubica is a candidate for a drive with the team in 2018.
Renault will consider Robert Kubica for 2018 drive
“What I can tell you is that he is still quick, he is still very consistent and more importantly he has this energy and this drive, this enthusiasm that he has always had,” said Abiteboul. “It’s really too early to talk about next steps… right now, the focus is on getting the most out of the overall line-up and package that we have. Then we will think about 2018 in due course. I don’t want to say yes or no. It’s not like a test that you are passing at an exam. But we’ve not seen any obvious roadblocks.”
This follows a number of recent tests for Renault that Kubica has undertaken for Renault, testing a Lotus E20 at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia in June, and most recently at Paul Ricard in France this week. Kubica also drove in public at the Goodwood Festival of Speed for the Enstone-based outfit.
With Kubica’s comeback to Formula 1 being a major story, Abiteboul also confirmed that this was not a PR stunt. “We are not doing that for PR purposes, even though we see it is creating a lot of media expectation and focus,” he said. “It’s not what we are doing, we care so much more for Robert than this.”
Kubica drove in Formula 1 from 2006-2010 before a rally accident cut his career short prior to the start of the 2011 Season, and secured 12 podium finishes along with one win at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix while driving for BMW Sauber.
