Renault considers Robert Kubica to have been a driver with incredible potential that ‘got away’ from the French team.

Kubica, BMW-Sauber’s 22-year-old racer who in recent grands prix has been a regular occupier of the front row of the grid and the podium, was earlier in his career closely linked with Renault.

As a teenager, he was part of the Renault driver development programme.

“At some point we were doing a bit of rationalisation about (the programme) and unfortunately we lost him,” Renault F1 engineering chief Pat Symonds says.

Later, in 2005, a 19-year-old Kubica won a test with the formula one team as a prize for securing the World Series by Renault crown.

“After that drive, I was very, very keen that we follow on with him. He really was most impressive in testing and I really wanted to do something with him,” Symonds added.

“He wasn’t too keen at the time, and of course later we found out that he was on the verge of signing a deal with BMW.

“I feel that he was one that got away from us,” Symonds said.

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