Besides De Vries, a familiar face also takes place in an F1 seat in France

Besides Nyck de Vries, a familiar face will also be in action at Paul Ricard for the French Grand Prix. Robert Kubica will take place in the Alfa Romeo of Valtteri Bottas for the first free practice.

Since 2020, Kubica has been part of Alfa Romeo as a test and reserve driver. The Polish driver took part in two Grands Prix last year when Kimi Raikkonen tested positive for Covid-19. At this year's Spanish Grand Prix, Kubica took over Guanyu Zhou's seat during the first free practice session.

This weekend he will take over from Bottas. Every Formula One driver is obliged to give a practice session to a junior driver. Kubica is already very experienced in F1, but as Alfa Romeo's reserve driver he also gets the chance to sit in an F1 seat.

During FP1, De Vries will also be in action alongside Kubica. The Dutchman will be driving Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes car. Earlier this season, De Vries also raced during FP1 for the Williams team.