Kubica switches to DTM in BMW return

Robert Kubica’s move to DTM has been officially confirmed as he returns to BMW at its customer team ART Grand Prix for the 2020 season.

The Polish driver has strong links to the German manufacturer having made his Formula 1 debut with the BMW Sauber squad. The 35-year-old competed for the factory BMW F1 team for four seasons with the highlight of securing its only F1 victory at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix.

Following his return to F1 after his life-threatening 2011 rallying accident that stalled his single-seater career, acting as test driver for both Renault and Williams before securing a full-time race seat at the Grove-based squad for 2019, Kubica has been named reserve driver at Alfa Romeo for 2020 and will dovetail his efforts with a maiden DTM campaign.

Kubica gained his first DTM experience at last December’s young driver test at Jerez.

“The DTM has appealed to me for a long time,” explained Kubica. “And the test in December in Jerez really gave me a taste for more. I believe the DTM is one of the strongest and best racing series in the world.

“Obviously, we still have to gain experience compared to the established DTM teams, but we’ll work hard to ensure we improve all the time. I can hardly wait to get started.”

“This is really great news for the DTM,” BMW motorsport boss Jens Marquardt, added. “It has always been our goal to grow the DTM field with a privately-run BMW M4 DTM; and, after many discussions, we opted for the package provided by ART Grand Prix.

“Robert showed during last December’s test that he is very good in a DTM car. He’ll be a real asset to the series.”

The 2020 10-round DTM season gets underway on April 24-26 at Zolder.