Renault Managing Director Cyril Abiteboul has ruled out a full-time Formula 1 return for Robert Kubica in 2017, insisting Jolyon Palmer’s position is safe.
Kubica has been exploring a potential Formula 1 comeback, having completed private tests in the 2012-spec E20 at Valencia and Paul Ricard this summer.
Kubica will step up his programme next week when he gets behind the wheel of Renault’s 2017 Formula 1 car during in-season testing at the Hungaroring.
Palmer, meanwhile, has yet to score a point this season, but Abiteboul has stressed that Renault has no plans to alter its current line-up this season.
“I told him [Palmer] that Robert is not an immediate threat,” Abiteboul explained to Motorsport.com.
“Clearly we are looking at options for 2018, and Jo could be an option for 2018. That is in his hands.
“What we are doing with Robert has nothing to do with what Jo does this weekend or even after the summer break.
“But there will not be any replacement of driver in Spa, as I’ve seen stories suggesting that, too.
“I can confirm that Jo will be driving in Spa – and the plan is for him to drive until the end of the season. Jo and Robert are two different aspects.”
On Kubica’s planned test, Abiteboul commented: “It is true that with Robert we feel we need to investigate a little bit further after all the tests we have done.
“Obviously there have been the tests we did with the 2012 car, but also we have done other things – medical checks and simulator work that I don’t really want to elaborate on.
“It is true that based on all these things up until now, we want to have a closer look about how realistically it would be for Robert to drive again in a modern F1 car, and possibly in a racing context.
“The last opportunity to at least do the test in a modern F1 car was the Hungary test, and we are taking that opportunity. But that is really something that is more medium- to long-term.
"It is not a short-term plan and it is not a short-term option to do anything with our driver line-up.”
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