F1 return a long way off as Kubica continues rehabilitation

LONDON (REUTERS) - Polish driver Robert Kubica will test a Mercedes DTM touring car in Spain this week but any Formula One return remains a long way off as he continues his rehabilitation from a near-fatal rally accident.

New Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff told reporters on Tuesday that the former BMW-Sauber and Renault driver would be testing with the HWA team at the Valencia circuit.

"We all obviously like Robert, he's a very special chap and what we want to do with Mercedes-Benz is give him a chance doing a proper test in a proper race car and seeing how he goes on and how he feels," he said.

Wolff said Kubica was not yet 100 percent fit and had not driven a car with such downforce since he suffered severe arm and hand injuries while competing in a minor rally in Italy in February 2011.