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Kubica’s accident appears to have polarised opinion within the paddock between those who consider allowing such activities irresponsible and those who consider them essential.

Three-times world champion Sir Jackie Stewart, a man who regularly raced in sports cars during his F1 career, said he was more inclined these days to consider such activities irresponsible having been a team owner himself.

His argument is that teams and sponsors pour millions of pounds into racing every year and hundreds of people depend on that for jobs.

“You’ve got to look after that investment,” Stewart said. “It’s quite a challenge to stop drivers doing the things I believe are unwise leading up to a F1 season. Skiing is the one you would immediately think of.”

Yet Ferrari annually raise eyebrows by allowing their highly-paid drivers to ski every year at their pre-season trip to the Italian Dolomites.

And speaking on Monday at the launch of the MVR-02, Virgin team principal John Booth admitted he had recently taken his two drivers skiing as well.

“We took Jerome [d’Ambrosio] and Timo [Glock] skiing a couple of weeks ago,” Booth said. “We said ’OK guys, stick to the piste blah blah blah.’ So we got to the top of the lift, the gates opened and they were just flat out.

“They were everywhere. And that’s how they are. That’s what makes them so good. It’d be difficult to stifle that, wouldn’t it? You can’t wrap them in cotton wool.” Some teams try.

It is understood that McLaren’s two British drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, must seek permission if they wish to pursue any sort of dangerous extra-curricular activity. A request to go rallying would not likely be granted.

Over at Red Bull, Christian Horner said last December he would consider banning Mark Webber from mountain biking after the Australian broke a second bone in as many years falling off his bike.

Ultimately, each team is different although whether attitudes will harden in light of Kubica’s accident remains to be seen.

The Pole remained in an induced coma on Monday, woken only briefly to speak to family and friends, as doctors at the Santa Corona Hospital near Genoa rested him ahead of possible further operations to fractures of the shoulder and elbow.

Professor Mario Igor Rossello, part of the team who carried out the seven-hour operation to save Kubica’s right hand on Sunday night, cautioned that it would be a while yet before it could be deemed successful.

“The hand is warm and this means the operation went well,” Rossello said.

“We need at least six days to check if the circulation of the blood in the limb responds as it should.”

That leaves Renault in an awkward position. Boullier said on Monday that he would not make a decision on Kubica’s replacement until he knew how long he would be out for. However, with the second of four winter tests starting in Jerez on Thursday, time is of the essence.

Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean are Renault’s two reserves waiting in the wings, but Boullier is believed to favour signing a driver with greater experience.

Nick Heidfeld, with 172 grands prix behind him, has that in abundance while there has been a groundswell of support for 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen to return.

The Finn’s manager, Steve Robertson, was unavailable for comment on Monday night.

Agences de presses

Labels: crash, decision, defend, Kubica, rally, rallying, Renault, Robert, Telegraphcouk

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Robert Kubica, Turkish GP 2010 

 © The Cahier Archive

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.

Agences de presses

Labels: crash, GrandPrix, Kubica, rally, seriously