Robert Kubica will make his official Formula 1 return in opening practice at the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend.
Kubica will step into the Williams FW41 usually piloted by Sergey Sirotkin in the opening session of the weekend.
It’s the first of three scheduled appearances for the Pole, who is the team’s official reserve and development driver.
“We have a busy Friday programme and it will be interesting to get Robert’s feedback on the car,” said Pat Symonds, the team’s technical director.
“Sergey has driven many laps on this track in pre-season testing so he won’t miss out too much.
“We also have two days of testing following the race with our official young driver Oliver Rowland, and Robert, and we have a huge program to fit into those two days to make progress with the development of the car.”
Kubica sampled the car in pre-season testing, after driving in last season’s end of year test in Abu Dhabi.
That followed outings in an older-spec car last year, with this weekend marking Kubica’s first race weekend appearance since the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
He had been in the mix as a potential race driver for Williams this season, though the team elected instead for Sirotkin alongside Lance Stroll.
Williams currently sits last in the constructors’ championship with four points.