Robert Kubica was out testing in a DTM Mercedes this week in Valencia and he told DTM television about how things were going and his hopes for the future. With F1 fans keen to keep an eye on Robert’s progress, I thought you might be interested to hear what he had to say.
Joe, do you think Kubica will ever get back in an F1 car? With his condition currently, I couldn’t see him even passing the evacuation test for an F1 driver…Such a talent though, surely someone will put him in a sim if they havent already?
He’s reportedly tried a single-seater as far as late 2011. Since then he’s trying to regain mobility of his right hand (wrist&elbow) necessary in single-seater cockpit.
His right arm does not look very mobile at all
Thanks for that Joe – I was pleased to see him looking well and in good humour. Although I have read the coverage of his accident and rehabilitation, I was still shocked at the lack of mobility in his arm. Sad to say but I dont see him in F1 any time soon . . . if at all.
I would LOVE to be proved wrong though
I too would love to see you proved wrong and here’s hoping. It would be great if he could do the DTM series this year as part of rehabilitation but I have no idea how much easier (if they are easier) the cars are to drive.
downforce & g-loading of dtm cars is nowhere near F1 levels, but the fact that he’s testing quick cars with downforce at all has got to be a good sign.
Agree 100%, really good to see him with what looks like a genuine smile rather than the grimace of fortitude that he seems to have been wearing at previous press encounters. Assuming that a manufacturer could rig a system to have the flappy paddles on just one side of the steering wheel I really am starting to think that he might be back as a pro some time in the near future. Heck, if Archie Scott Brown could win in the beast that was the Lister Knobbly, surely a power-assisted DTM car would be manageable for BobKub? However, you do seem to make a good point about that arm, it looks almost immobile in the video. Hardly going to be able to cope with the plethora of fiddle little buttons an F1 car sports on its wheel. I did just finish this post by typing “fingers crossed” but I realise that might have come across as insensitive… You catch my drift though!
What do you think about the test Kubica in the DTM. Is that his idea of how to go back to F1?
I think it is his way to see how competitive he is in a DTM car.
He’s amazingly determined and elite athletes can come back from some injuries that defy belief – still sadly I think Kubica is going to run out of time. At 28, he really needs to be finding a top flight drive in the next year or two. I’m not one of those people who thinks drivers are past it in their 30s, but he’s going to be up against the next crop of youngsters.
I suppose he does have some of the ‘Kimi’ factor in fans who desperately want to see him back though and will overlook age and time off. You’d just hope sponsors and teams would be willing to take the same gamble should he recover more mobility.
First, it is incredible to see Robert moving around considering the severity of the accident. I think many of us looked at his time in F1 and wondered when his WDC would come…he was just so damn talented. But the way his hand just is so, I don’t know, flaccid is concerning. It’s obviously mobile enough to drive a race car well, but it just looks so limp.
I, for one, would love to see him rack up a couple seasons in DTM. I hope he makes it back to F1, but DTM is such a fantastic series in case he can’t.
He’s always seemed to be a down to earth (as well as being, in my book, one of the top three drivers) kind of guy and it isn’t hard to see why he is a popular figure. That’s why it’s distressing to see from this footage that his right arm is obviously still significantly compromised. Clearly he’s very determined and I’d love for him to find a way back into an F1 car and be competitive again, but there is a window of opportunity which only gets smaller with the progression of time.
I remember another journalist (Mark Hughes, I think) remarking that if all the money and attention deserted the sport, Robert Kubica is the driver he is most certain would still be racing, kipping in a camper van if necessaryfor the love of the sport itself. Sadly, I suspect he’ll never be 100% again. If he hasn’t recovered after 2 years, I can’t see it happening, but with luck he might at least recover enough to race touring cars. A shame, as I still think he *might* have been the quickest of the lot.
I’m a big fan of RK, from the begining. It’s great to see him driving. But, that video clearly shows how badly damaged and immobile his arm is. Being realistic, I don’t see him coming back to F1. Sad, and hopefully I’ll be proven wrong, but I just don’t see how his arm will ever recover enough to allow him to drive a F1 car in anger.
It would be encouraging to see him using his right arm naturally and instinctually while gesturing or performing everyday tasks which he clearly currently does not, some of that may be reincorporating the use of the arm that has been immobile and out of use. There is talk of a best case scenario 80 percent recovery which he feels would be sufficient for f1 but no timeline is mentioned. We all know the world of F1 moves on very quickly so 2 years going on 3 is really an eternity, he’s not a driver to bring sponsorship or waste his time in a C grade F1 car so things don’t look encouraging as far as F1 goes.
There is little doubt that things were going in the right direction with lotus and Robert prior to his injury as I would say he appeared to be hitting his prime and getting some machinery that suited him of good caliber. As fans we probably missed some good “duels” amongst the top drivers that I am sure he would have been part of as he was not one that readily backed down. I liked the way he would not be intimidated and ran Schumacher off into the grass in Montreal on a corner because it seemed driver specific as that is a move Michael would do (ask Ruebens) so quick thinking Robert raced him ‘Michael’ style without flinching. Losing a leading protagonist in his prime was a fairly big loss to the viewing spectacle of the sport, the fans loss.
To put things in Sennas context of ‘pure driving’ and the love of it when he described his carting experience. I think Kubica embodied that type of passion as a driver as his love affair seemed to be with that driving experience, driving focus and not the trappings and glamour of the F1 world. A kid that earned his way into the f1 world through talent, sacrifice and hard work his humility was refreshing.
The warrior spirit continues as even compromised he gets good results, one can only wish him well. One thing that’s not debatable is the strength of his mental resolve, BIG RESPECT, Bravo Robert. Keep up the good work and much success in the future.
Hopelessness, he can barely move his right hand. It is just Nannini once again. He lost his career by being unable to resist his lust for adrenaline. People say that guys like Vettel are immature. Yes, they frequently behave like teenagers, but compare them to Kubica. Vettel knows what he wants, he works hard and his targets are his main motivation, not basic, primitive lust. Vettel knew when to work and when to play, Kubica didn’t. That’s what separates men from boys.
So let me get this straight, because Kubica chose to compete in rallies in hs own spare time that makes him immature, lust driven and a boy not a man?
What utter tosh.
Answering your question Jamborello – yes. Kubica is a very bad example to be shown by dad to son, in my opinion. Mature man has mental strength to deny himself to satiate his instincts if they collide with long-term targets. I really hope that Robert will eventually recover to be able to operate his right hand more or less like a healthy man, but for F1 he is gone, in my view. You can’t drive F1 car with one hand healthy and second one as useful as Wilhelm II’s left.
That’s one of the things I loved about him – an inescapable need to compete and test himself…F1 just wasn’t enough.
In the old days f1 drivers also raced can-am, sportscars, and various lower open wheel formulae, so it’s a rare quality in a modern f1 driver
Hindsights 20/20. It was a freak accident. One thing is very certain though rally courses are extremely dangerous by comparison with the sanitized tracks of modern F1. Like him or not Max Mosley deserves a massive thank you from the F1 world for the level of safety now present. Between Max and the massive contributions of Sid Watkins F1 safety has defied the laws of physics. There will be fatalities though it is inevitable with the law of averages and such fast moving objects, Alonso & Grosjean, Rosberg flying over Karthekeyan were really, really close. Shameful how the drivers association did not have their head present at Mr Watkins memorial. Why? because he retired in 2005, out of sight out of mind? disgraceful considering the drivers are the benefactors. Kubica would have been dead in 07 without HANS and the modern crash tested monocoque cell.
Frankly, the fact he is driving any car at all is a miracle considering the extent of his injuries. I don’t see much more mobility coming back to his arm this far into his recovery, the lack of space in an F1 car will be a major problem. No reason for him not to go to DTM though, I hear he was 0.5 seconds faster than Gary Paffett..
Pretty impressive. Like Zanardi, he needs to get back in the car and compete. Probably not F1. DTM would be great. Le Mans maybe? Doesn’t really matter. It’s the first step back into some semblance of his old life so he can move on to whatever is next. I’m happy for Robert. The smile on his face was great to see.
When he first had his rallying crash my thoughts went to Alessandro Nannini. Looking at his right arm in that video it would appear that he could have a lot of the problems Nannini had getting back into racing. The difference now of course is that there is no need to manually change gear so his injuries may not restrict his competitiveness to the same degree.but I would be very surprised to see him race in F1 again.
The good thing is that he is live and healthy which could very easily not have been the case.
Robert Kubica is a fantastic racer whether he gets back into F1 or not. Yes he should have had a better drive to allow him to challenge for the world championship but like many great racers before him (i.e. Gilles Villenueve) Robert has made a mark in F1 that has guaranteed a legacy for years to come.
Salut Robert.
Bless the man — wish him nothing but the best. And I’m certainly not going to judge him harshly for rallying. Racers race — that’s what they do. Driving a modern rally car is certainly less dangerous than driving a 60s era F1 car. He’s a grown man; he made his decisions and now he’s dealing with the unlucky consequences. I don’t hear him whining about it. On a separate note, that DTM Mercedes gives me a big stiffy.