SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium -- Robert Kubica's test with Renault following the Hungarian Grand Prix did not provide the team with all the answers it wanted over his readiness for next year.
After six and a half years away from the sport, Kubica returned to a modern F1 car following the Hungarian Grand Prix, completing 142 laps in a single day. Despite the extensive mileage on a tough circuit in high temperatures, Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul admitted that the test had left some questions unanswered over the Pole's readiness for a full-time drive next year.
"That was a test," Abiteboul said. "Frankly, we said we wanted to be extremely methodological and analytic about the way that we were approaching things with Robert. It's not a PR exercise. It's something we're taking very seriously and we're trying to leave emotion on the side.
"We don't have all the answers that we potentially wanted to get from that test. In addition to that, Formula One is very restrictive in terms of the tests we can do. So in a perfect world, we want to do more of these type of tests to see if he can race again. It may or may not be possible. We will see."
Abiteboul would not reveal what had gone unanswered during the test, but said offering Kubica a full-time drive in 2018 would have to make sense to Renault on all levels.
"Obviously we have access to some information that the public and the media do not have access to. I feel that it's private information for the team and for Robert, and I would not want to speak without his control.
"There are various things to do to come back into a racing car at this level, a car that is very different to the car he has been driving six or seven years ago, as well as the car that he drove in the test that we've done at Le Castellet, which was a car from 2012 - much lighter, less downforce, a different steering system.
"We're not going into too much details. We'll see what it could involve to go one step further. The question with Robert as I said is that we have a restriction on our ability to test. Any addition to that testing in the regulations, private testing, one car, in controlled environment without rain, without first-lap action that you can always encoutner, all of that needs to be factored into the decision of pursuing or not pursuing.
"As I said, I don't want to go further than this, I don't want to create speculation, and I don't always want to put it that the team has some obligation to go further because there is an interest, a willingness from the public to see Robert back. We would all like Robert to be back, but it has to make sense."
Abiteboul said Renault's decision over who will partner Nico Hulkenberg next year must take into account the entire driver market and not just be a straight decision between current race driver Jolyon Palmer and Kubica.
"Deciding on Robert is deciding on part of our line-up for next year. It's well-reported that Nico has a multi-year contract, and Jo has a one-year contract, so obviously we have one driver to decide for next year. We also have the restriction that I was referring to on Robert, so we also need to be consistent on the timing for deciding on a second driver.
"The market is starting to sort of go with the different announcements of this week with Ferrari and McLaren, and I expect there will be some more announcements at some point. We cannot just be sitting on a rock and making our plans and not helping ourselves. It has to follow the plans of all the drivers."