Kubica to stand in again for Raikkonen at Monza GP
Polish driver to compete in Alfa Romeo for second straight race as Finn continues to isolate after testing positive for Covid-19
09 September 2021 - 16:50
byAlan Baldwin
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Kubica finished 15th in last weekend's Dutch GP.
Picture: GETTY IMAGES
London — Polish driver Robert Kubica will stand in again for Kimi Raikkonen and Alfa Romeo at Monza in Italy this weekend as the Finn continued to isolate after testing positive for Covid-19.
Raikkonen, the 2007 world champion with Ferrari, also missed last weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort and the Swiss-based team said in a statement on Wednesday that the 41-year-old had not yet been cleared to return.
“I hope he makes a full recovery and returns to the cockpit soon,” said Kubica. “I am looking forward to racing in Monza, an incredible track in which I claimed my first podium, in 2006.
“Unlike Zandvoort, it is a track I know well and this will help, particularly since the Sprint Qualifying weekend format means we will be one practice session short, he added. “I am happy with what I did in Holland and I can’t wait to help the team out one more time in Monza.”
Kubica finished 15th in that race, one place behind Italian team mate Antonio Giovinazzi.
The 36-year-old Pole raced for BMW Sauber and Renault from 2006 to 2010 and returned to the Formula One grid with Williams in 2019 after a near-fatal rally crash in 2011. Last weekend’s race was his first since 2019.
This weekend will be the second time Formula One has experimented with a sprint format, a qualifying session on Friday and sprint race on Saturday to determine Sunday’s starting grid.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
FORMULA ONE
Kubica to stand in again for Raikkonen at Monza GP
Polish driver to compete in Alfa Romeo for second straight race as Finn continues to isolate after testing positive for Covid-19
London — Polish driver Robert Kubica will stand in again for Kimi Raikkonen and Alfa Romeo at Monza in Italy this weekend as the Finn continued to isolate after testing positive for Covid-19.
Raikkonen, the 2007 world champion with Ferrari, also missed last weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort and the Swiss-based team said in a statement on Wednesday that the 41-year-old had not yet been cleared to return.
“I hope he makes a full recovery and returns to the cockpit soon,” said Kubica. “I am looking forward to racing in Monza, an incredible track in which I claimed my first podium, in 2006.
“Unlike Zandvoort, it is a track I know well and this will help, particularly since the Sprint Qualifying weekend format means we will be one practice session short, he added. “I am happy with what I did in Holland and I can’t wait to help the team out one more time in Monza.”
Kubica finished 15th in that race, one place behind Italian team mate Antonio Giovinazzi.
The 36-year-old Pole raced for BMW Sauber and Renault from 2006 to 2010 and returned to the Formula One grid with Williams in 2019 after a near-fatal rally crash in 2011. Last weekend’s race was his first since 2019.
This weekend will be the second time Formula One has experimented with a sprint format, a qualifying session on Friday and sprint race on Saturday to determine Sunday’s starting grid.
Reuters
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