Robert Kubica will write a new page in his Renault racing history next weekend in Spa when he joins Christophe Hamon for the latest round of the Renault Sport trophy aboard a Duqueine Engineering entered Renault RS.01.
The Polish driver will made his open wheel racing debut in Formula Renault 2000, joining the Renault Driver Development programme before going on to finish runner-up in the Italian series in 2002.
He went on to become the first champion in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series in 2005, which led to his first run in F1 with the Renault R25 F1 car during the rookie tests at the end of the season where his form led to a factory drive for 2006.
A Grand Prix winner in 2008, Robert Kubica and Renault teamed up again in rally racing in 2009, a year before he joined the Enstone team in F1. Following a promising first season, his ascension was halted abruptly by an accident.
After winning the 2013 WRC-2 Championship, Robert Kubica made his return to circuit racing in a Mercedes in this year’s 12 Hours of Mugello.
To get comfortable with the RS.01 Robert and the Duqueine Engineering team joined up this week at the Ales circuit in the South of France for a shakedown.
Robert Kubica: “I quickly felt at ease at the wheel of the R.S. 01, and even on a twisty track like Ales its qualities were immediately evident, especially the stopping power granted by the carbon discs. I was impressed by how late into the corner you can brake and by the absence of body roll, even when you push to make the most of the available grip. I look forward to driving it at Spa, where all the downforce the car can generate will also come into play.”
