Doornbos inks F1 deal to drive for Renault

Robert Doornbos is a happy man

(GMM) Former Champ Car grand prix driver Robert Doornbos has concluded a deal to appear in the cockpit of Renault's formula one cars in 2008, according to reports.

The 26-year-old Dutchman, who raced 11 times for Minardi and Red Bull until late in 2006, reportedly penned the agreement with the French squad's main sponsor ING – a Dutch bank – to perform demonstration driving duties, the Dutch publication Formule 1 Race Report said on Monday.

Doornbos dropped out of the American open wheeler scene for 2008 following the merger of the Champ Car and IRL series.

He has since signed to represent AC Milan in the forthcoming football-meets-motor racing Superleague Formula.

Doornbos' very next high-speed outing, however, could be a one-day Renault test at the Silverstone circuit on Friday, motorsport-total.com claims.

The German portal said Doornbos' shakedown is so he can adapt to the car ahead of his demonstration outings, including in Rotterdam and Moscow.

His management, meanwhile, denied that a connection can be made between Doornbos' Renault commitment and the increasing pressure on the team's struggling race driver Nelson Piquet.