csconstantine.com: Kubica seriously hurt in rally crash

Sunday, 6 February 2011

Kubica seriously hurt in rally crash - GrandPrix

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Robert Kubica, Turkish GP 2010

Robert Kubica has been airlifted to hospital with multiple fractures to his arm, leg and hand after a crash en route to a Ronde di Andora rally stage in Italy.

Kubica, driving a Skoda Fabia, is believed to have hit a church wall and overturned, with co-driver Jakub Gerber escaping unhurt. The 26-year-old Pole, the Renault team leader who set the pace in last week's Valencia F1 test, is believed to have suffered fractures to his left leg and to his hand/wrist, although we stress that there has been no official medical information.

Lotus Renault GP has issued a statement confirming that Kubica has been taken to Pietra Ligure Hospital, near Genoa, where he has been diagnosed with multiple fractures to his right arm, leg and hand, and is currently undergoing surgery.

Kubica has regularly contested rallies alongside his F1 career but today's accident, sadly, will put the wisdom of such actions under serious scrutiny. Kubica, who won the 2008 Canadian GP for BMW a year after suffering a colossal accident in the same race a year earlier, is highly rated by his rivals as well as by his team. Technical chief James Allison said last year, "I have no doubt that if we give Robert a championship-winning car, he will deliver a title."

Although it is early days in pre-season testing, the initial performance of the new Group Lotus-sponsored Renault R31 seems highly promising. While the prime concern must be for Kubica and a full recovery that allows him to continue his career, it seems inevitable that he will not be taking part in the opening races of the new F1 season, which starts in Bahrain five weeks today.

The team finds itself in a situation whereby its second driver, Vitaly Petrov, has just one season of F1 experience behind him and, also, the biggest 2010 gulf between himself and his team mate on the F1 grid.

Bruno Senna has just signed a deal to be Renault's reserve driver. The 27-year-old also has only a single season in the top category under his belt, with the newly-formed HRT team. If Kubica's injuries rule him out as expected, it remains to be seen whether Renault will consider Petrov/Senna a workable partnership or whether the team will look elsewhere.

Drivers with ability/experience who have not got full-time F1 seats in 2011 include Germans Nick Heidfeld and former GP champion Nico Hulkenberg, who is reserve driver at Force India.