Renault is not currently considering Robert Kubica for a future seat at their team, according to managing director Cyril Abiteboul.
The possibility of a comeback for the Polish driver, who last competed in Formula 1 in 2010, has appeared to increase significantly in recent weeks after the 32-year-old completed 115 laps in a test in Valencia before the Canadian Grand Prix.
There is also growing pressure on current race driver Jolyon Palmer, who has yet to score a point this season and has been well off the pace compared to team-mate Nico Hulkenberg.
However, talking to motorsport.com, Abiteboul played down any expectation of one replacing the other, at least for now.
“I know that the sport is full of speculation and rumours and all these things,” he said. “But I think in this present case we need to be a little bit careful because we’re talking about an individual that we all love, with a fantastic image, and who has suffered a very difficult situation from a personal perspective.
“So I think I would ask on this occasion everyone to be a little bit careful. Yes, we have done that test, but we don’t want to create expectations in anyone’s mind, including Robert himself.
“We have a long-term contract with Nico, and a contract for 2017, and all of 2017, with Jolyon but at some point, we will have to review options,” he added.
“If by then, Robert becomes an option, we can have a look. As we speak, he’s not on the list. He has many more things he has to accomplish so that he could be on the list.”
Recently, Kubica himself has declared a return to F1 as his target and, in an interview with Polish TV, revealed: “To be honest I was working a lot to be prepared and my physical form was never as good as is now – even in the ‘golden times’ of my F1 career.
“My hard work helped a lot. I was ready almost for everything – many things were beyond my control until that day (the test).
“It turned out it wasn’t so scary and it was not as far as it might seem before the test.
“It’s quite close and, being honest, I can say that an F1 car was the most conducive to drive from all of the cars that I checked after my the accident, with my limitations. It’s a nice surprise,” he added.
“From a physical form point of view, it was better than I could expect in the best scenarios.”
