Alfa Romeo want to keep Kubica for 2021

Alfa Romeo want to retain Robert Kubica as their reserve driver for 2021 – and will sweeten the deal with more time in the car.

Kubica made his return to Formula 1 in 2019 withWilliams, a miraculous comeback after the injuries the Pole suffered in a rally crash meant he had been absent from the grid since 2010.

The one-time race winner picked up a single point in what was a difficult season in a very poor FW42 before leaving Williams at the end of the year.

For 2020, Kubica joinedAlfa Romeoas a test and reserve driver, bringing his main sponsor PKN Orlen with him who became co-title sponsor of the team.

It was quite the challenge for Kubica, who contestedfive FP1 sessionsduring the 2020 season as well as competing full-time in DTM.

But Alfa Romeo want to keep the Polish racer around for another season and increase his time in the car and the simulator further.

“I hope so, but for sure the season was difficult,” Alfa Romeo principal Frederic Vasseur toldAutosportwhen asked if the team planned to keep Kubica for 2021.

“[It was] mainly for Robert because he had to do in parallel the DTM project and Formula 1.

“这是一个疯狂的赛季,至少一个疯狂的六个月s. But we would like to have him a little bit more into the car, a little bit more into the simulator to develop our tools.

“He’s fully committed with us, he’s doing a very good job and he showed us [in Bahrain] that the pace is still there.

“I’m very happy to keep Robert in the team for next year.”

In his debut season in DTM Kubica finished P15, picking up 20 points.

He was able to make it onto the podium once, that coming in the second race of DTM’s second visit to Zolder.

Kubica is yet to confirm whether or not he will remain in the series for 2021, although has previously hinted at relinquishing his duties at Alfa Romeo in Formula 1.

Alfa Romeo have confirmed already that Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi will be retained for a third season. The team suffered a very disappointing 2020, scoring only eight points compared to the 57 they collected in 2019.

P9 was the best finish of the season for both drivers with Raikkonen claiming that spot at the Tuscan and Emilia Romagna GPs, while Giovinazzi finished P9 at the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix.

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