Robert Kubica will not be racing for Lotus Renault GP at the start of the Formula 1 season. The Polish driver has suffered serious injuries after a nasty accident while he was taking part in the Rallye Ronde di Andora, which takes place in the hills behind the town of Marina di Andora on the Italian Riviera, not far from the city of Savona.
The crash happened at around 8.30 in the morning as Kubica was taking part in the first stage of the second day of the rally. In the village of Testico he hit a wall in his Skoda Fabia and it appears that the car hit the end of a metal barrier head-on. It is not yet established exactly what happened, but the first indications are that the barrier came through the engine compartment into the footwell of the left-hand drive car – a most unusual accident – which caused Robert to suffer injuries to his right leg, his right arm and, most importantly, his right hand. This is yet to be confirmed, but photographs of the scene of the accident showed that the two front doors of the Skoda were intact, as was the windscreen. There was, however, a clear hole through the engine bay into the cockpit area. The left rear door of the car was removed, but this was almost certainly done by rescuers. Kubica was reportedly trapped in the car for more than an hour while the local fire brigade brought mechanical cutters to the scene. He was then taken in a Fire Service helicopter to the Santa Corona Hospital in Pietra Ligure, on the coast, where surgeons operated on his damaged hand. The bone structure was repaired and then surgeons began working to restore muscle functionality.
Because of the range of his injuries there have been wide-ranging series of different reports about exactly what Robert has suffered.
“He has multiple fractures,” said team boss Eric Boullier. “His hand is injured. It is too early and impolite to think of a replacement driver. We are waiting for news of Robert and how long he will be out of action before we think of taking such a decision.”
There is no doubt that the accident is a major blow to the Lotus Renault GP team as Kubica is the star of the operation. Vitaly Petrov is not yet ready to be the team-leader and the team’s reserve drivers Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean are neither very experienced in F1 terms. Senna would be the obvious choice as he did most of the 2010 season with the HRT team, although Boullier might also look beyond the team as it might be possible to extract Nico Hulkenberg from his reserve driver role at Force India. Nick Heidfeld, Kimi Raikkonen and Tonio Liuzzi are also very experienced drivers who are available.
The team also has test driver deals with Czech driver Jan Charouz, Ho-Pin Tung and Fairuz Fauzy, but none of them have any serious F1 experience.
joeblogsf1 
With expectation, of course, that Robert will be back in action before very long, I would say that Nico Hulkenberg is the obvious choice for a stand-in. Afterall, with the exception of Raikkonen, who’s even had a chance of a pole position let alone actually achieving it? (special note being made of the terrible conditions in which the Hulk achieved his too!)
In my opinion, Kimi Raikkonen has long shown his disdain for F1, Tonio Liuzzi has blown every chance he’s had, and Romain Grosjean & Bruno Senna have shown little talent when they had their chances, and finally Jan Charouz, Ho-Pin Tung and Fairuz Fauzy are all too green by a mile.
If this were mid-season, the reserve drivers would get the nod, but given that it’s just the first week of testing and Kubica is likely gone for the season (if not forever), the team is far more likely to go with a seasoned driver.
I think Joe has defined the shortlist with Hulkenberg, Heidfield, and Liuzzi. I’d put 10 to 1 odds that it ends up being one of those three.
Then again, the car -was- fastest in the first week of practice. If the team truly believe their car is revolutionary and will be a real contender, they will have to at least consider Raikkonen.
Of course, Raikkonen won’t come cheap, he’ll cost the team fully *ten times* what those other drivers would cost, if not more. He’ll also demand a contract with such high termination fees as to almost certainly prevent Kubica from returning to the team (given that Petrov is seemingly locked in), but such is the lot of the Formula One driver.
Although we never like to see this happen, we can fully understand why Formula One Teams have a very strong policy about their Drivers racing in other forms of the racing sport.
Sorry folks, someone had to say it. Look at the drama with Mr. Mika Hakkinen and Ferrari.
Ferrari restricted his racing ventures outside of Formula One, and they did it for very good reason.
I wish all the best for Mr. Robert Kubica, as I am sure that we all do.
The fact remains, you can not drive a Formula One race car, one handed.
It does leave the Lotus Renault GP Team in a bit of a lurch. Although I am sure that they have a back up plan in place, and a Driver to fill in.
At least they had better have a plan…
I don’t think Hulkenberg is a good option now. Same one year F1 experience as Petrov and Senna. Not much help in testing. No guaranties of points in new car.
Heidfeld on the other hand is almost perfect. Very experienced driver. Quite capable of scoring also.
BTW this situation shows how ridiculous the ban of testing. There’s almost no experienced test pilots anymore. Only spare rookies.
professor Rosello, surgeon who operated Kubica told that rehabilitation will take at a year.
Heidfeld is the obvious choice here if it’s to be longer term. His vast experience and obvious talent (not much to choose between he and Robert at BMW), not to mention adaptability over Hulkenberg should make it a simple enough choice, although I would expect Renault to give a shortlist test run in Jerez before making a final choice.
Either way, what a shame. Hoping Robert is comfortable and wishing him a very speedy recovery to good health.
I hope robert recovers well.
I would like to see senna given a chance in the test next week. If he does ok give him a shot. That hrt is not a car to be judged in…..
I have no desire to see raikonen drafted in.
Poor Robert, sounds like he’ll be out for months.
I hope Bruno gets a race or two – would love to see those Senna colours back in a black and gold Lotus Renault.
Terrible news. I hope that Kubica’s injuries aren’t career-ending. I think of him as the only guy on the grid who just might be as out and out fast as Hamilton.
Would like to see Hulkenberg given a shot in the car – he did enough at Williams last year to merit a full-time F1 drive and a stand-in role at Lotus or Renault, or whatever they’re called now (Toleman??) would be no bad thing.
First of all, hope robert will be okay as soon as possible. I think there are two angles to look at replacement. Marketing wise it would be dream to have Senna in gold N black lotus but there are question marks over his speed although you do not win GP2 races by accident in what was more competitive season than last year. Performance wise there is clearly Hulkenberg, the chap has shan all ingredients.. Hiedfeld is experienced and quite quick but Kobayashi had upper level on him. And Liuzzi must be o joke, he has blown all chances he had in F1, he should be finished…
Saying as it is looking like they will need a driver for the majority of the season, I doubt they will go for Senna or Grosjean. Besides, they need a driver with experience, so I doubt they would choose Hulkenberg either.
Heidfeld is the logical choice, with Klien or Liuzzi as the outsiders. Raikkonen will not be returning. There is a possibility they could try and release a driver already on the grid out of their contract – maybe Glock?
Very bad news about Kubica- a real star driver.
On the subject of, hopefully temporary, replacement- give Senna the chance.
He lost out to Barrichello at Honda/Brawn despite only being .3 off Button at first F1 Barca tryout in 2008(considerably quicker than Di Grassi at same test who had F1 experience)
Despite HRT team he beat all the various teamates last year.
Liuzzi hasn’t set the world alight and if it wasn’t for a pole in Brazil Hulkenburg wouldn’t even being talked about?
Come on Bouillier give Senna the chance?
I d be surprised if Renault went to sign a new driver now, especially if Kubica is expected to recover.
They’ll certainly test with their reserve drivers and i’d be surprised if they could resist the marketing opportunity of a Senna in Fake Lotus
That said though I do think Bruno deserves a chance to prove himself in a car thats actually driveable.
Poor Kubica, he will be in my thoughts and prayers.
One has to consider what the eminent surgeon who did the operation on Robert’s hand has to say…
“We have to wait at least a week to see if his hand survives,” Rossello told Italian media, apparently adding that it could take a year for the Pole to be able to use his right arm again.
Poor Robert has damage to hand, arm and leg – this obviously makes rehab much slower as you have less range of exercises you can do (I know from experience). The road to recovery for Robert will of necessity take some time.
As Joe observed this is a major blow to team with such high hopes. It is clear the team will want to get Robert back driving as soon as possible as the team is built around him so the incumbent driver is either an existing driver team lacking experience or they could draft in experience until Robert gets back.
I do not see Mercedes lending the Hulk out to a competitor that could easily beat them (last year had Renault had a better second driver they could have done so). Much better to consider either Heidfeld or Liuzzi. Remember Heidfeld also got a surprise pole for the Williams team and in two of three complete seasons he was teamed to Robert beat him in points and scored two fastest laps against Robert’s none. Liuzzi is also known to give good feedback to the team and is probably better than most would assume (assuming his luck improves).
Hi Joe,
A video conference from just after the surgery has been released
Wishing Robert the very best with his recovery. Was really shocked at the news when I saw it this afternoon.
Now we wait on the prognosis as the week goes on with what is expected as part of his recovery and hopeful thoughts that no complications appear.
Regarding a replacement driver. it is a difficault one, Bruno is obviously contracted for that position, but when it was thought about, this was as a standing if either driver was ill for a race weekend really.
Now there is mention of the Hulk? maybe okay a choice, but if doing that, then they may as well go with Bruno as they have the same amount of racing experence between them in F1. The Hulk does have a bit of advantage of having experence with a competitive team though.
Although they probably will need an experenced driver as a team leader, such as Heidfeld and maybe Liuzzi as options.
We shall see what the team will do, but first and formost, again wishing well for Robert
Joe
It was a one day rally…
I was introducing my five year old son to the joys of Grand Prix motor racing. Showing him Villeneuve v Arnoux and then Senna in the wet at Donnington. Then I remembered my heroes were dead. I have a JFK moment for both of them. But my son loves engines, fast cars and motorcycles. His mother doesn’t trust me, I will risk her (our) beloved son with my dangerous ideas. I talk about the latest hero in her home land. Not a ski jumper or a footballer. But the man who can beat Alonso and Hamilton. He is a racer, that mythical being that twists and bends the chemistry of a race car into automotive ballet. But the gods of cyberspace inform me that, whilst playing, he is injured. Life threatening, life changing? The prognosis changes and it looks good, the white eagle may fly again. But my child wants to see the crash, he picks up his toys and performs a death sprial with his corgis. The brutality of death is insulated from his mind. But the heroes of mine, Jimmy Dean, Marilyn, Chapman, Clark and Marley. They all died too soon. Are the heroes of tomorrow only to be remembered by their deaths today? Is Robert about to be remembered for what he could have achieved, not what he did?
the surgeon just said recover could take a year
Joe
I would have thought you would want them to use one of the drivers they have under contract – morally of course……
bad luck for Robert – I hope he recovers and can one day drive an F1 car
Raelene,
These people will what they will do…
Surely hulkenberg would be the prime candiate but i’m sure joe can cast light on his contractual obligations and if it would actually be a possibility
you have to feel for kubica though he hasn’t had the best of luck with crashes and injuries if that renault turns out to be able to win races then it’s a cruel twist of fate
I wish and hope for nothing but the best for Booby K. I can clearly remember his accident in Montréal, and saying that he could not have survived, and at best would have a long period of restitution. I still feel sick remembering that crash. I can only image what this one was like.
Robert, get well, courage and strength.
As for replacement drivers, as M. Boullier said, it is impolite to talk about but it must be thought about…
The Hulk…. Why he doesn’t have an F1 seat in 2011 is beyond me. Unless it is a non-talent i$$ue. Two sophomores?
Tonio…. An easy way for Force India to get out of it’s contract?
Kimi…. He will have to give up rallying, as the schedule and discipline is not compatible. Though the Red-Bull sponsorship, Renault power, PSA chassis could provide a link?
Bourdais? He didn’t get along with Flavio… But flavio is no longer with Renault, lotus, whatever.
Villeneuve! There is his chance, again! Oh, wait, he said he gave up on that. Maybe one LAST time!
D.C.? Red Bull connections -> Renault -> Genii? not too far out of F1 seat time?
Senna? Two sophomores?
Bert – Hesketh Racing
First of all, as a motorsport fan, I’m deeply sadned by this unfourtunate accident. All I want now is to see him good and in a car as soon as possible. Forza Robert!
Second, to talk about possible replacements, less than 24 hours after the crash might be bad, but it has to be done. It’s quite ironic to see that, less than a week after we see that swarm of drivers in Valencia, that the best chance to have a good driver for Renault, right now, might be outside of it! After all, everybody are thinking on the likes of Hulkenberg, Raikonnen, Heidfeld, etc…
If so, I think it will be another example of bad management on that team. I hope that they will choose their pilot from that swarm.
This is shocking news. I hope Kubica is able to make a full recovery and get back to his best as soon as possible. He hasn’t really had the equipment yet but in my opinion he is up there with Vettel, Hamilton & Alonso as the best drivers in the F1 in terms of talent and dedication. His health is most important right now but it would be a huge shame if he dosen’t get back and fulfil his potential. Get well soon Robert.
I mean no disrespect to Kubica or his fans but this could be a lifeline for Bruno Senna if he gets the nod as stand-in. I agree Hulkenberg would be a sure bet but nobody knows yet how long Kubica will be out and The Hulk is locked up at Force India. Senna is first reserve as I understand it. If he gets even half a season and the Renault is competitive we’ll know once and for all if he’s up to the task or not.
As much as I’m a Senna fan if I was the big kahuna at Renault my replacements list would be…
1. Heidfeld (no brainer)
2. Liuzzi (very capable)
3. Senna (capable)
Assuming Hulkenberg is out of the running otherwise he would be my No.1. That said I think Senna will be devastated if he’s passed over for somebody else after being named the teams reserve.
Well I wish kubica a rapid recovery.
I would love to see Senna in a half decent car, I suppose they can always rotate drivers if Kubica can come back mid season
@Ben,
Even Hulkenberg would be a question!
But whom would not be a question is Nick Heidfeld. Heidfeld used to be a teammate of Kubica and there wasn’t really a big gap between them, when driving for BMW!
If Boullier really is a smart guy, he will call Heidfeld to replace Kubica!
And about Robert Kubica…This reminds me of Alessando Naninni, whom had a similar injury.
His arms (?) were saved, but he never got back to F1-level…
Raikkonen isn’t available without some sort of payout as he’s off rallying. Unlikely Renault would want to pay extra for anyone’s services.
If I was one of the many Renault test drivers, I’d be a little upset if it wasn’t one of them who are chosen to take the seat. After all, isn’t that the point of these guys as there isn’t any testing? (as long as we ignore the previous examples where test drivers have too often not taken seats vacated by regular drivers through injury)
Let us all pray that Robert makes a full recovery. This is a man who has defied the odds before. Let’s remember the horrific crash in Montreal where everyone thought he died, initially.
Now for Renault…if they want a competitive season, they need to call on Hulkenberg. Grosjean was horrible. Senna needs more development. Hulkenberg is not only race ready, he’s proven to be fast.
Surprised that he was allowed to Rally drive for these exact reasons. firstly, let’s hope for a complete recovery, Terrible news for F1
Dear all
Thank the Gods that he wasn’t killed, and, prayers for a speedy and complete recovery.
This incident will no doubt, draw comments about clauses in contracts preventing drivers from involving themselves in dangerous activities.
It says to me that Robert Kubica is a racer, through and through, in the tradition of the great drivers of the ’60s And, sh*t happens.
Good on him for having a go, and, good on Renault for not standing in the way.
Cheers
MarkR
Probablly will be out for the whole year.
I was hoping for him to build on last years pace & add to the WDC fight this year.
He has the pace, just needs the car to be fast enough.
What a shame for Robert, his team, and everyone else.
I’m not quite so sure as Random that Räikkönen would be so difficult to engage for a few races. My impression is that he’s not interested in being owned by an F1 team and required to deliver a championship without significant compensation, but the chance to do a few low-pressure races might be very attractive to him (unless he already has plans for those weekends). I suspect we’ll never really know though.
just as i predicted (strange) Bruno Senna will be driving in 2011, the spirit of Senna is back. its almost as if his ghost made this happen.
for some reason i predicted this in 2009. Weird as per my video.
Joe,
Priorties first :-
1. Best wishes to Robert to recover his health and mobility
2. Hope he returns to the battlefield when ready
3. Curve balls :- Webber to move over from Red Bull and allow Red Bull to become fully “Vettelised”? Or Juan Pablo Montoya to take up against Schumi again?
I doubt that Kimi we will ever see Kimi back in F1, unfortunately. Though I wish Robert swift recovery, the team is likely to play safe and keep him off the track for the whole season. So, most likely we will see Hulk or Quick Nick filling the gap.
they would rather let Senna try out at couple of test session and then decide. if he shows form & speed then it’s best to go with Senna who will be hungry and determined. Wasting money on other drivers would be wrong… rather they should let Petrov & Senna take the challenge. I’m sure they will rise to the occasion.
Or they should try to get Sutil, Hulk can take FI seat.
How do you know 100% that Kimi is “available”?
For a replacement for Kubica, what about Piquet Jnr? *joke*
Hope Kubica is back in action soon.
Well I feel gutted for Kubica, I really like the guy… and i feel like I’m betraying him by thinking about an alternate… but this is reality and an alternate will be hired… I sure hope Senna would have a crack at showing what he can do in a competitive car, but when i heard the story, I couldn’t help but think of Heidfeld. Hulkenberg is all fine and nice, but if I were the manager, Heidfeld would be my #1 option, Raikkonen would be too but he would definitely ask for an absurd price…however Tonio Liuzzi would be very lucky to have that seat…
Could this be a chance for Liuzzi?
Depending on the length of Kubica’s absence, I wonder whether Renault would consider a deal to take a driver from another team.
The chance to be No.1 at a resurgent Renault would be tempting for someone like Webber, Massa or Button, would it not?
Random, I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on the relative timings from the tests – after all, look at the game Sauber played last year.
However, what I find most concerning is that Kubica was stuck in his car for an HOUR.
How is it, in this day & age, with the FIA emphasising the safety aspect of motorsport every day, at an event more likely than any other to require cutting a car apart to effect a rescue, that the equipment was an HOUR away?
I would expect the FIA to have already announced an investigation, but that seems not to be the case.
Trouble with Heidfeld, Liuzzi and Hulkenberg is that really none of them match up to Kubica. Obviously it’s easy to compare Heidfeld with Kubica and whilst he’s good he was never as good.
Hulkenberg is obviously talented and quick but he didn’t do as excellently as I might have expected in his first season and he’s still inexperienced. He could do well but is he the leader the team will need at least for one season? Also don’t know if he’ll be able to exit his reserve role for Force India.
Which leaves Liuzzi. Would be interesting to see how he could do but again would he be able to act as the leader the team needs right now?
I flat out refuse to believe that Raikonnen will return. I love him as a driver but I find it extremely difficult that he’ll ever want to return to F1.
How about webber? He can’t really be that happy at Red Bull and if the Renault is competitive, and it’s only for a year (or two), maybe he would be a left field alternative…
Allegedly they have contacted Heidfeld.
Anyway, I’ll do it! I’m well good at karting innit.
By the way EXCELLENT decision to go rallying.
If it turns out that Renault have built a car that can compete at the front for wins then they may have no other choice than to pay Kimi.
Just read on another website that he might be out for a year and there is a chance, albeit small, he could loose a hand.
Am I the only one to percieve this arguing the toss over a successor a little goulish?
Well I s’pose it is F1.
I think the decisions that Renault F1 makes regarding a replacement driver will indicate just how serious the injury is.
If they take Hulkenberg I suspect that Kubica’s season and possible future as an F1 driver is over. Why, because Hulkenberg is a very good long term investment. Not a short term deal. Willy Weber will ensure that.
If, however, they opt for a Raikonen, and lets be honest, none of the other “wanabees” really can deliver what Renault needs, then I think that bodes well for Kubica.
I wonder who was first to Eric Bouliier? Willy Weber or Steve Robertson? Its a hard world is F1.
If you watch the last minute of this video http://www.gpupdate.net/en/videos/746/aftermath-of-robert-kubica-s-rally-accident/, you can see the safety barrier has gone through the front grill, the length of the car, and out the back…. A few inches further over and he could have been killed.
I trust RK will be back really soon and in top shape.
However, it’s hard to believe F1 drivers are allowed to drive rallies during their time off. One would think they would have some sort of non-allowed/dangerous activities restriction on their contracts.
All the best, Joe
Interesting how this reflects on F1’s testing ban. Yes the ban saves a lot of money, but the unintended consequence is creation of a chicken-or-the-egg problem where no new drivers can get any experience, so former drivers (even if mediocre) must be recycled.
Has Renault tracked down Andrea DeCaesaris yet? ;=)
On the other hand, another unintended consequence is it may breathe new life into the career of The Hulk, who clearly has the talent but doesn’t have a billionaire or a dictator showering his career in petrodollars.
Once again, the calculus of F1 proves more interesting off the track than on.
I broke my hand once. Once I recovered the use of it, there is one thing never felt right again: gripping a steering wheel.
One wonders why ol’ Bob is allowed to do any racing outside of F1, given the amount of people depending on his health.