Kubica joins Alfa Romeo as reserve driver

Robert Kubica has joined Alfa Romeo Racing as the team’s official reserve driver for the 2020 Formula 1 season.

It reunites the Pole with the team which, under the BMW Sauber guise, provided his debut in 2006 and with whom he claimed his sole race win in Canada in 2008.

The 35-year-old last year drove with Williams after completing a remarkable comeback from a rally crash which almost claimed his right arm.

He scored the team’s sole point at the German Grand Prix before announcing that he would not continue with the squad in 2020.

Linked with a move to DTM following a test with BMW last month, Alfa Romeo has confirmed Kubica will join the team as part of a subtle rebranding to include a new title sponsor.

Officially the team will be known as Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN for the coming year in deference to Polish petroleum company PKN ORLEN, which has taken up co-title sponsorship of the team.

Having been evident on the rear wing at Williams throughout 2019, it joins Alfa Romeo for what underneath remains the Sauber team.

“I am really happy to be starting this new chapter in my career as I join Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN,” said Kubica.

“This team holds a special place in my heart and I am pleased to see some faces still here from my years in Hinwil.

“Time and circumstances are obviously different, but I am convinced that I will find the same determination and hunger to succeed. I am looking forward to helping Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN make the next step forward.”

Team boss Frederic Vasseur added: “The exciting new partnership with PKN ORLEN is a statement of intent for both parties.

“It is proof of the ambition of our common project and of our desire to compete at the very top of Formula One. PKN ORLEN support for excellence finds a perfect partner in our team.

“We are also delighted to welcome Robert back home and we cannot wait to start working with him.

“He is a driver that needs no introduction: one of the most brilliant in his generation and one who displayed the true meaning of human determination in his fight to return to racing after his rallying accident.

“His feedback will be invaluable as we continue to push our team towards the front of the grid.”

The 2020 Formula 1 season officially kicks off in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix on March 12-15, with two pre-season tests set to take place before then.