I consider all racing drivers to be superheroes. They put their lives on the line every time they sit inside the cockpit of a Formula One car and are paid (justifiably) millions of pounds to do so. Some could arguably be described as indestructable, although in a sport where danger is only a stone's throw away that would be wholly incorrect. Nevertheless, how often do you see racing drivers walk away from monumental shunts with just the odd bruise? So therefore, it can be argued F1 drivers are perhaps at a greater risk in their activities off the track; Mark Webber's horrific leg break in a mountain bike accident or Juan Pablo Montoya's shoulder injury in 2005 are the most notable. So the news of Robert Kubica's potentially fatal accident yesterday in a rally in Italy has shocked not just F1, but the motorsport world in general. He of all drivers, following his terrifying accident in Canada in 2007, was the one I considered truly unbreakable.
Kubica collided heavily with a crash barrier on the Ronde di Andora rally. His right hand was partially severed and he suffered arm and leg fractures before he was airlifted to a hospital in Genoa, where he spent seven hours in surgury as doctor's frantically tried to save the functionality of his hand. Thankfully, the Pole has regained conciousness following his major surgery although it is unclear yet whether he will be able to return to F1. Doctors have said that at best the 26 year old will be out of action for a year, but I'm just glad he is alive. Those who have seen the pictures of his wrecked car will be amazed, and perhaps further astounded, that his co-driver Kakub Gerber, was unhurt in the accident. Gerber also confirmed that Kubica was trapped inside his Skoda Fabia for over an hour. Doctors have said it will take up to six days to determine whether his hand will have been saved but in a Lotus-Renault statement they said Kubica had been able to move his fingers. It is not the first time Kubica has had major surgery; he was left with titanium bolts in his arm after a serious road accident in 2003. However, after that accident, doctors said he would be out for between six months and a year. Three months later he made his delayed Formula Three at the Norisring debut and won. We can only hope he, at the very least, returns.
Kubica is rightly regarded as one of the best drivers in the sport and I completely agree. Those who have read previous posts of mine will know that I ranked him as my 'driver of the season' in 2010. He put his Renault in places it should not have been and picked up podiums in Australia, Monaco and Spa on his way to finishing 8th in the championship. He has consistently demonstrated his abilities behind the wheel of an F1 car ever since his debut at Hungary in 2006 for BMW Sauber. In my view, it is an outrage that he has claimed just a solitary F1 victory in his career so far. That win, in Canada in 2008, took him to the top of the standings but BMW's lack of development ultimately ruled Kubica out of the title hunt. Despite this he finished the season 4th and he was only out of contention following the penultimate race in China. How he is not in a winning car (no disrespect to Lotus-Renault) is mystifying. It is widely acknowledged that the reason he is not sat in a 2011 Ferrari is because he is too quick, something Ferrari driver and friend Fernando Alonso, would simply not stand for. However, it seemed inevitable that the quiet Pole would drive for the prancing horse at some point in his career.
It is ironic that Kubica was behind the wheel of a rally car when he crashed; he has racing in his blood. As Renault team principal Eric Boullier said on Monday: “He knew the risks, we knew the risks. We don’t want some corporate robot.” Kubica is unlike other drivers; he is quietly quick which is unusual in a sport where speed is publicised more than any other. It is somewhat upsetting that it has taken such an accident to bring him into the public domain. However, if he returns to the F1 grid, everybody will be behind him 100% and I doubt he will be affected in anyway, such is his lack of interest in the glitz and glamour within F1. He is paid to drive, and boy does does he drive well. For those who are on Twitter, many will have noticed the messages of support from his fellow drivers; he is clearly a popular fellow in the paddock too. But for now I, like the rest of you I'm sure, can only wish Robert a speedy recovery.
Josh.
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