Kubica gets F1 practice outing for Alfa Romeo in Hungary

The 36-year-old Pole will deputise for Kimi Raikkonen during the first hour of running at the Hungaroring on Friday in what will mark his third FP1 outing of the 2021 season.

Kubica has already driven Alfa Romeo’s C41 car this year during FP1 at Barcelona and the first Austrian round, while he also completed a shakedown event in Spain before pre-season testing.

Kubica’s latest practice appearance will take place at the venue he made his extraordinary F1 comeback in 2017 in a test for Renault following an eight-year hiatus from the sport.

“It’s always great to be back in the car, especially so in Budapest which is the closest race to Poland on the calendar,” said Kubica.

“There are always a lot of Polish fans on the stands and I know there will be a lot of flags to welcome me when I head of out the garage on Friday.

“Of course, once you’re in the car, the focus is on doing the best possible job for the team and on helping our engineers with the set-up of the car. The margins are really small in the midfield so every improvement can be crucial.”

Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur added: “Robert has done a really good job for the team so far this season and we’re excited to see him back in the car in Budapest.

“His technical feedback has really helped us in setting up the car and we are confident he can help us extracting even more from our package as the season progresses.”