07/06/2017
NEWS STORY
Amidst online speculation that Robert Kubica's test at Valencia with Renault might herald a return to the F1 grid, the French team has played down the significance of the outing, insisting it was essentially unfinished business following the rally accident in 2011 that ended his extremely promising F1 career.
News of the test, which saw the Pole complete 115 laps, led to speculation that Renault might be lining up the pole to replace Jolyon Palmer as the Briton continues to struggle.
However, Sporting Director, Alan Permane was keen to play down the speculation.
"It was good to see Robert back in a Formula 1 car," he said. "It was a smooth day. We tried to condense a Grand Prix weekend into one day, which was interesting for him.
"Robert has changed a little," Permane continued, "he is more mellow and he wasn't as pushy when asking for every detail about the set-up of the car! His comments and feedback, however, were like turning the clock back for all of us.
"It is a tricky thing to jump into an F1 car after six years and it was a great performance from him.
"This was a one-off event for Robert," he confirmed. "His time with Renault was cut short so abruptly and we perceived such a nice future with him. The team was in Valencia testing with Sergey Sirotkin, so it was the perfect opportunity to offer Robert a day in the car and contribute in our way to his recovery."
"I would like to thank everybody for making this possible," said Kubica, "I hope it was a good day for everyone and maybe they saw something of my old, 2010 self.
"For me, it has been an important day from an emotional point of view. It has been a long time away from the paddock and I have been through difficult periods, I kept working hard and a few years ago I felt it was impossible.
"I have mixed feelings," he admitted, "I am proud with what I achieved today, but also it shows what I have lost.
"I don't know what the future will bring, but I know one thing, after working for more than one year to prepare for this, I ran with good pace and consistent in difficult conditions. It is not easy after six years, but I knew I could do the job and I can be satisfied. I appreciate the opportunity. Renault gave me my first F1 test in 2005, so I appreciate another test this time around."
Kubica used the 2012 specification, Renault V8 powered E20, as he conducted numerous evaluations with various fuel-loads.