Press materials / AF Corse / Pictured: Robert Kubica
Robert Kubica will fulfill his dream by wearing a red jumpsuit! On Wednesday, the Pole sat behind the wheel of a Ferrari during testing at the Imola circuit. In the 2024 season, he will be one of the Italian stable’s drivers in the Hypercar category in long-distance races.
The French portal Endurance Information, which deals with long-distance racing, was the first to report on Robert Kubica’s tests with Ferrari. Later, other journalists confirmed this information. On Wednesday, the 38-year-old was present at the Imola circuit, where the Italians set up tests for their 499P model. For Kubica, this will be an opportunity to drive a hypercar for the first time in his life.
Ferrari returns to the top category of long-distance racing in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) after a long hiatus in the 2023 season. Several months ago, there was speculation that Kubica could be one of the candidates to drive in this team. Ultimately, in the first advertising campaign, the Italians focused on drivers who had been developing the design of the 499P for several months.
In the recently concluded season, Ferrari had two Hypercars on the grid. One of them won the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, which was a huge upset. Next year, in addition to the two factory cars, the Italians will compete with an additional third car. Kubica will be in it.
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On Wednesday, the Italian Ferrari team AF Corse officially announced the acquisition of Kubica. Although the announcement did not mention that the 38-year-old would race in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in the Supercars category, it appears to be just a formality. Especially since the Pole has repeatedly said in recent months that this is his goal.
-I am happy that my paths and AF Corse will cross next year. This is one of the teams that has been the most successful in motorsport for years. I’m sure we will do well. Moreover, I returned to the Italian team, which is very important for me – said Kubica after confirming the information about joining AF Corse.
Who could become Kubica’s racing partner in the Ferrari prepared by AF Corse? One option is Robert Schwartzman. The Russian, who holds an Israeli passport, remains the Italian team’s reserve driver in Formula 1, and also recently took part in post-season testing in the WEC behind the wheel of a red car. He had the best time of them all.
Previously, Kubica was repeatedly linked with driving for the British Hertz team Jota, which races a Porsche. The Pole was supposed to test the German machine in Bahrain after the end of the WEC season, but unexpectedly decided not to do so. In a recent conversation with WP SportoweFakty, he explained that this is not a bad sign. Everything indicates that the Krakow resident had already finalized contract matters with AF Kors.
According to unofficial information, Ferrari has previously extended the contracts of Antonio Fuoco, Niklas Nielsen, Miguel Molina, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi and Alessandro Pier Guidi. This means that the composition of the Italian team’s factory crews will not change in the 2024 season.
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