Kubica confirms DTM campaign with customer BMW team

©DTM

Robert Kubica will remain an active racer this year, the former Williams driver confirming a full campaign in the German DTM series with ART Grand Prix.

Kubica's presence on the competitive championship's grid comes courtesy of Polish oil company and personal sponsor PKN Orlen.

The 35-year-old has nicely leveraged his network of relations for 2020 as ART Grand Prix was founded by Alfa Romeo Racing team boss Frédéric Vasseur who also inked a deal with PKN Orlen for F1 this season, with Kubica hired as Alfa's reserve driver.

Kubica will race a BMW M4 in the 20-race DTM series, one of seven cars supplied by the Bavarian manufacture to various teams this year.

Kubica and sponsor PKN ORLEN join Alfa Romeo Racing!

The Pole tested the M4 at last December's Young Driver test in Jerez, but ART Grand Prix's return to the DTM championship which it contested in 2015-16 has come as a surprise, and an especially good one for Kubica.

"The DTM has appealed to me for a long time – and the test in December at Jerez de la Frontera really gave me a taste for more," said Kubica.

"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!"

©BMWMotorsport

ITR chairman Gerhard Berger who overseas the DTM was delighted with his latest team and driver recruits.

"We’re absolutely delighted to have a driver of the calibre and prestige of Robert join the DTM – he will be a fantastic addition," said the former F1 driver.

"In fact, our series has had a long and illustrious history of attracting F1 drivers – including race winners such as Mika Hakkinen, Keke Rosberg and David Coulthard – and Robert’s arrival maintains that tradition.

"As his grand prix predecessors have each discovered, the DTM is fantastically competitive and no easy challenge," Berger added.

"That said, I’m absolutely sure that Robert will very quickly prove himself in DTM, and that he will be an invaluable component of BMW’s exciting 2020 driver line-up.

"We all look forward to seeing him in action."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.