The Pole joined the French team at the end of 2009 for a one-year deal, replacing Fernando Alonso. Soon after scoring some impressive performances at the wheel of the R30 in the early rounds of 2010 – podium finish in Australia – he was linked with a move to Ferrari, alongside poker friend Alonso.
After Felipe Massa was confirmed until the end of 2012 for the Scuderia, Kubica was again linked with a move elsewhere, this time to Mercedes GP (curiously enough, following another podium performance in Monaco). However, after months of speculations, the 25-year old driver finally committed to a long-term stay at Renault.
“It was a straightforward decision for me to continue with a team where I feel at home. What's important for me is to be in the right atmosphere, with a good group of people, where everybody is pulling in the same direction. This is what we have tried to build from the beginning of my time with Renault,” said Kubica in a statement.
“I think we have already achieved a lot together, and I believe that with plenty of effort, time and the right approach, we can move even further forward. That is certainly our target, so we will keep working hard and pushing on every front, not just for the rest of this season but also for next year when there are more big rule changes on the way. I am really looking forward to the challenge.”
Needless to say, team principal Eric Boullier was very happy with the agreement, especially since his “franchise” driver was linked with plenty of teams this season.
“We are delighted that Robert will remain with us for the next two seasons and I would like to thank him for the faith he has shown in this team. There have been many rumors surrounding his future in recent weeks, which were a tribute to how well he has driven this year, and we are very happy to have agreed a multi-year deal,” said Boullier.
“Our clear goal is to become title contenders over the next two years. To do so, we need a driver of Robert's calibre: somebody who is fast, totally committed and doesn't make mistakes. His performances during the first half of the 2010 season were flawless, and we hope to achieve great things together in the future,” added the Frenchman, who is yet to confirm his team's second driver for 2011. That position is currently taken by Russian driver Vitaly Petrov.
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