Kubica to drive FP1 with Alfa Romeo at Styrian GP

Robert Kubica will take part in his first free practice session as an Alfa Romeo reserve driver this weekend at the Styrian Grand Prix.

The Polish driver will get behind the wheel of Antonio Giovinazzi's car for the session, having last drove the C39 car at pre-season testing.

Kubica is assisting Alfa Romeo with the development of the car this year, having competed as a full-time driver in 2019 with Williams, scoring one point during a difficult campaign.

“I am looking forward to returning to action this weekend, especially after the long break the whole world of motorsport had to observe,” Kubica said.

“My objective, as always, is to provide as much data as possible for our engineers and to give them my feedback from within the cockpit.

“This weekend will be quite a new experience for everyone, racing in the same venue we were on just a few days ago, so it will be a matter of refining all the data we collected over the course of the Austrian Grand Prix and testing the adjustments we want to make to the cars.”

Alfa Romeo endured a mostly difficult weekend at the Red Bull Ring for the opening round of the year, with the car seemingly off the pace compared to its rivals.

However, Giovinazzi managed to cross the line in ninth place, with nine drivers dropping out of the running before the chequered flag was waved.

As well as his reserve and development duties with Alfa Romeo this year, Kubica will race in DTM with BMW, with the first race weekend taking place next month.

Speaking about Kubica's drive this weekend, Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur said: “I am looking forward to seeing Robert in the car on Friday. A driver with his experience always comes up with valuable feedback and he’ll be able to help us continue learning about our car.

“Robert was with the team last weekend, of course, and so he is fully aware of everything that was discussed in the engineering meetings and during each session: it’ll be a chance for him to experience the car by himself and, armed with that knowledge, help us progress further.”