Robert Kubica has made his return to a Formula 1 cockpit six years after the rally accident which almost ended his motorsport career.
Taking the wheel of a Lotus E20 at Valencia, painted to resemble the current Renault, the Polish driver completed 115 laps in the car Kimi Raikkonen raced to victory at the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
“Robert complained about grip, understeer, downforce and had the biggest smile after his 115 laps,” Renault confirmed via its Twitter account.
A number of current drivers took to social media in support of the test, including Fernando Alonso and Daniil Kvyat who Tweeted “great to see Robert in the office again!”
News of the impending test leaked yesterday, though the French manufacturer only confirmed the test was taking place once the former grand prix winner was on circuit, saying that simply that “it was a private test, for Robert.”
The test follows similar outings in a GP3 car in April, and a Formula E car earlier this month, while his Formula 1 experience is understood to have included runs on high fuel, practice starts and qualifying simulations.
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Kubica sustained severe arm injuries while competing in the Ronde de Andorra rally in February 2011, and though hopes were initially high that he would make a return, limited movement in the arm and hand prevented a return to single-seater racing.
He has since competed in the World Rally Championship, and was slated to drive for privateer LMP1 squad ByKolles in this year’s World Endurance Championship, but walked away from the team on the eve of the opening round.
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