I think his walking is okay but his hand/arm mobility still looks bad. I guess it's to be expected after what happened to him but it's hard to imagine that he'll ever drive in F1 again. On the other hand I also can't imagine how he can drive a rally car so fast so what do I know.
I have to say that I totally understand him that he avoided the media all this time. It was a very hard time for him and he had more important things to do. His fans and all F1 fans should respect that.
ZitatLuke Harvey @Rallycameraman RT “@GQuinn27: Robert just cleared the final stage... Rally winner!! Mega drive #kubica @F1RSTMOTORSPORT” Kubica for WRC 2013?! from North Somerset, North Somerset
Zitat1h Rafal Babinski @rafalbabinski RT @antonioboselli: Robert #Kubica won the 29th edition of the Bassano Rally Good job RK!
Zitat2h BossSkySport24 @antonioboselli Robert #Kubica won the 29th edition of the Bassano Rally Good job RK!
ZitatF1 : Polish racer Robert Kubica dismisses any chance of a return to Formula 1 Monday, 10 December 2012 10:11
With Lotus apparently dithering over a new deal for Romain Grosjean, wild rumours at the Interlagos finale last month suggested the team might have an eye on Kubica.
The talented Pole has been out of Formula 1 since the end of 2010, because in the weeks before the 2011 season, he was seriously injured in a rallying crash in Italy.
"I was hoping that I'd be back behind the wheel of a Formula One car soon," Kubica, now 27, told Autoweek, "but it didn't work out."
He has at least now returned to competitive action, performing strongly at the wheel of rally cars in minor events.
But the limited mobility of his right arm, which was almost completely severed in his February 2011 crash, means that he cannot currently steer a single seater.
"I still find it difficult to move my right arm," said Kubica.
"I had several operations that were meant to improve this issue, but there's not been a spectacular improvement.
"If I can move my arm again, there is a chance that I will return (to Formula 1). But until that happens, we'll have to see. There's no chance of me coming back to Formula One soon," he admitted.
Kubica confessed to missing circuit racing, mentioning "touring cars or endurance racing" as potential avenues for the near future.
"I don't know, but I will make a decision very soon," he said.
He said another option could be the world rally championship, but that would mean that he would probably not "fight for top results".
"We're talking with people at the moment, and everything will be decided by the end of the year," said Kubica.
And if he chooses rallying, that will likely mean he will not return to Formula 1 at least until 2015.
"I don't want to spend a year in the world rally championship only to find out in November next year that I have no idea what I'm doing in 2014," said the former BMW and Renault driver.
"If I choose rallying, it needs to be a long term programme that allows me to learn.
"I can't do what I did in Formula One before the accident, so I must choose a new direction, make the next step in my career. We'll see what it is."
Very sad to read this. But it seemed the most likely outcome.
That was a devastating accident. One he was probably very lucky to survive.
As times goes on, it seems less and less likely Robert would return.
The one interesting part of that article is the mention of Grosjean. It seems that Lotus is evaluating their options to replace him. I'm not sure Lotus is convinced that another driver has the ceiling of talent of Grosjean though. So he may get another year..
Robert Kubica will tackle this year's World Rally Championship WRC 2 category with Citroen.
After competing in a handful of national rallies last year, including two in a Citroen C4 WRC, the ex-Formula 1 driver has confirmed a full season with the French manufacturer for 2013.
He will drive a Citroën DS3 RRC on the seven round WRC 2 championship, as well as a limited number of other European events.
The Pole’s 2013 programme will get underway at the Rally Islas Canarias – the third round of the FIA European Rally Championship – before he begins his campaign in the WRC 2 at April’s Rally de Portugal.
“I weighed up the different options before deciding on this programme,” confirmed the Krakow-born driver. “I kept in touch with Citroën Racing and both sides were keen to continue working together. I’m really pleased now to be able to return to top-level racing.
"I can’t wait to start racing, but I haven’t set myself any specific target. I still have a lot to learn in rallying and to improve I will need to rack up the miles on the stages.”
Kubica has long had a passion for rallying, but his driving career was thrown into doubt in February 2011 when he was seriously injured in a crash on an Italian national rally that left him with limited use of his right hand.
Following special dispensation from the FIA, the Polish driver’s car will have a specifically designed gearbox with a paddle-shift installed to the left of the steering wheel.
Yves Matton, Citroën Racing Team Principal thanked the FIA for enabling the change and said he was especially pleased to have Kubica as one of his drivers in 2013.
“Thanks to the support of his partners, we are in the process of putting together a racing programme that will enable him to improve in a car that offers similar handling to a World Rally Car,” said Matton. “Robert’s determination is an example to us all and we are proud to associate Citroën Racing’s image with such a resolutely positive individual.”
Robert Kubica was in a car crash two years ago where he nearly lost his life, or at least his arm. Now the former F1-star is making his debut in Jyväskylä.
It's the first Sunday in February year 2011. Renault’s star driver Robert Kubica is enjoying the rally, his beloved hobby.
It's still 5 weeks before the F1-season starts so there is time to do other things. Kubica starts the opening stage in Italy's Ronde di Andora -rally.
He never finishes the stage.
Kubica drives out with a high speed, only less than 5 kilometers before the end, crashing in a steel barrier which penetrates the car's front and enters the cockpit from the left side.
The car is smoking and a wreck.
Kubica is stuck for over an hour before they get him out of the car. He is transported to a hospital in Geneva by helicopter.
Although he is alive, the evaluation of his injuries is harsh: A huge loss of blood and several fractures in his arms and legs. Losing the right arm is a real threat.
Kubica is operated for seven hours in the ER and they succeed in saving his arm. During the following days they still do many surgeries, after which healing can begin.
Kubica's survival from a crash this fierce is a miracle in itself.
Now he is performing another kind of a miracle.
Back in the racing car
Kubica wished for a speedy return to F1. But he was hit with reality: Kubica's right arm wasn't movable enough and he didn't feel it enough to turn a F1 -steering wheel.
He sat out F1-seasons 2011 and 2012. This season also, but Kubica's life is no longer all about healing.
Kubica drove his first rally after the accident in September last year. It was a small rally in Italy, which Kubica won with over one minute.
That performance alone proved that he didn't suffer from a state of fear after the accident.
So why not more? In March Kubica announced that he will drive seven WRC-rallies with a Citroën.
His schedule also includes Finland's WRC-rally, so the former F1-star is this week in Jyväskylä for the first time.
– Because I haven't been here I haven't experienced roads and stages like these. A lot of bumps, fast corners and jumps, so this is really different from the track and those rallies I have raced before. Portugal and Sardinia are nothing compared to this, Kubica says in Iltalehti's interview.
– I have to stay calm and drive evenly. The roads are really fast, often they go 160 or 170 km/h. It's going to be an interesting weekend.
The arm hangs along
Kubica is racing in WRC2-serie, which from his POV has started amazingly well. He was 6th in Portugal, but in Greece and Sardinia he already won his serie.
– The season has gone well, but the most important thing is learning. That's why it would be good to get to the finish line in Finland. In rally you need experience. If I'm going to continue in this sport it should get easier year by year - but still it's difficult even for experienced drivers, Kubica says.
Because of his arm injury Kubica has a different gearbox in the Citroën. He changes gears with his left hand beside the steering wheel.
In what condition is your arm at the moment?
– The arm is okay. It's still here, Kubica laughs and moves his right arm.
– I have limitations, but I can drive the rally car reasonably well. It's more difficult on gravel than on tarmac, since you have to make more corrective moves. But the arm is getting better all the time.
Kubica hasn't forgotten his accident, but he tries not to think about it.
– It can't be helped. Unfortunately it has been difficult afterwards, but the most important thing is that I get slowly back in condition again. I will never be the same, but I can race in motorsport on a good level - which in itself is a good achievement.
Back to F1?
Kubica doesn't yet know what kind of a car he will drive in the future. The only thing that is certain is that he won't let go of motorsport. For him motorsport is the same as life.
The dream about a F1-comeback is still alive.
– My plans depend a lot on my limitations. I would like to go back, but it happens if it's meant to happen. The future is open but I don't worry over it. If I don't do well in rally, then I can surely get opportunities in track-racing.
This season is according to Kubica a learning process and rehabilitation.
– It's a learning process because if I don't go back to track-racing, then I need experience from rally. Rehabilitation again because only by driving can I train my hand and find substitute things to moves I can't normally do, Kubica explains.
– Normally it would be cool to know in time what to do in the future, but in my situation I have to wait to the last to see how the body works and which is the best option. I want to drive a car, no matter what kind it is, 100 %. I don't want to do anything that I can't do flat-out.
Kubica's success in every genre is not up to lack of passion.
Kimi Räikkönen went to rally for two years before coming back to F1 season 2012 - practically in the seat that Kubica left vacant.
Kubica followed closely Räikkönen's rally project.
– I think Kimi gave up too early. In rally it's all about motivation and the way you approach it. Because Kimi had won the WDC in F1, many expected him to do well immediately. But because it's a completely different sport, he was a rookie driver in practice who started from zero. I think he did a good job in the beginning, but maybe he then found out that he would rather go back to F1. It's all about choices, Kubica ponders.
– I supported Kimi because rally-people often say that track-drivers are worse than rally-drivers. It's a competition and both genre's fans praise their own genre.
Experience is crucial
Kubica emphasizes the significance of experience in rally.
– In rally it's difficult to do well quickly, even for those who have grown into it. It's even more difficult for the rest of us. I grew up to be a driver in an environment where I had to focus on completely different things than in rally. Driving the car fast is important, but what's even more important is to know when you can drive fast - you have to have experience of stages and good pace notes.
If it's difficult for track-drivers to succeed in rally, then it can't be easy for rally-drivers to switch to tracks either.
– The best of them would do okay and be about 1-1,5 seconds per lap behind others. People may think that it's little, but the corresponding difference could in rally mean about 30 seconds per stage, Kubica evaluates.
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Mon Sep 10, 2012 8:16 pm
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