Renault confirms Kubica test/evaluation

Renault has confirmed Robert Kubica will test again in order for the team to evaluate whether he could make a racing return to Formula 1.

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"Whilst the first day of testing at Valencia was no more than to let Robert get reacquainted with the feel of driving again, this second test will be to assess his capabilities to return to the highest level of competition," Renault managing director Cyril Abiteboul said.

"This is a new phase in his personal and professional journey and we are proud to support him in the form of lending our infrastructure at Paul Ricard that is suitable for professional and non-professional drivers.

"There are still many hurdles for him to overcome, and he knows better than anyone else that only his performance will determine if he can one day return to being a professional driver."

Renault did not provide an exact date for the test, simply saying Kubica will return to the track "shortly."

Thursday saw Felipe Massa asked about a potential return for the Pole, with the Williams driver saying he hopes Kubica can prove his ability to race competitively throughout a full season.

"Well he's a great driver," Massa said. "He showed the talent he has. He showed that he's supposed to maybe be in the big teams, maybe for victories or championships. For sure it's very difficult to answer because we don't know how he is, how is his arm, how strong he is to accept the full season.

"I saw Robert maybe two times in the last [years] since he had his accident so for me it's difficult to say. It'd be fantastic for Formula 1 to have him back but we need to hope he is in the position to be back in the right way and strong enough to accept the whole season."

Max Verstappen agreed with Massa, when asked if he'd like to see Kubica back in F1, adding: "Absolutely!

"He was a great driver, and I think he still is even though the injury he had. And I also think he's a very nice person as well. Like Felipe said, he would've had a great career if he didn't have an injury so to be honest it would be good to have him back."