Kubica to test 2017 Renault in Hungary

[July 24, 2017]    (Reuters) - Polish driver Robert Kubica, whose career looked over when he partially severed his forearm in a 2011 rally accident, will test Renault's current Formula One car on Aug. 2 in Hungary, the French manufacturer said on Monday.

Renault described the decision as a "a new phase in assessing Kubica's capabilities." The 32-year-old returned to the cockpit in Renault's 2012 car in June and had a second test earlier this month.

Robert Kubica of Poland looks on before a test session at the Ricardo Tormo racetrack in Cheste, near Valencia, February 2, 2011. REUTERS/Heino Kalis

The in-season test in Hungary will be Kubica's first time driving a current F1 car and is the clearest sign yet that he is being considered for a race comeback, amid speculation that he could replace Britain's Jolyon Palmer, who is yet to score a point in 10 races this season.

"The first two days of testing allowed both Robert and ourselves to gather a great amount of information," Renault's F1 managing director Cyril Abiteboul said in a statement.

"The upcoming session with the R.S.17 at the Hungaroring will allow us all to obtain detailed and precise data in a current car and representative conditions.

"After this test, we will carefully analyze the collected information to determine in what conditions it would be possible for Robert to return to competition in the upcoming years."

Kubica won the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix with BMW-Sauber and joined Renault in 2010. His arm injury, in a rally he entered for fun in Italy, came before the start of the 2011 season.

(Writing by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; editing by Amlan Chakraborty)

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