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Lotus Renault driver Robert Kubica could be out of action for the whole of the 2011 Formula 1 season.
Robert Kubica underwent a seven-hour operation at the Santa Corona Hospital in Pietra Ligure yesterday afternoon. The Lotus Renault GP driver had been diagnosed with multiple fractures to his right arm and leg following a high-speed accident at the Ronda de Andora rally yesterday morning. He also suffered severe cuts to his forearm, which could have an impact on his right hand mobility.
Kubica is reported to have taken a bend at high speed when he lost control of his Skodia Fabia and his car hit a guard rail which broke down the driver's door and bent the roll bar. The car ended up in the wall of the local church.
The impact resulted in a length of crash barrier penetrating the cockpit of the car and hitting Kubica, badly injuring the right-hand side of his body.
According to sources on the event, safety personnel were quickly on the scene but Kubica was trapped in the car for more than one hour because the remote location of the crash meant that extraction equipment and fire engines could not easily reach the scene. A decision was taken to airlift Kubica to the nearby hospital.
His co-driver Jakub Gerber was not injured.
There were fears that the hand may have had to be amputated, but doctors managed to reattach the blood supply during a lengthy operation and are hoping the repair will be successful.
Doctors are reasonably satisfied with the way the operation went. Robert’s condition remains stable but serious. He has been placed into an induced coma and could be woken up in the morning.
Professor Mario Igor Rossello, Director for the Regional Centre of Hand Surgery at San Paolo Hospital in Savona: “It has been a very important and difficult operation. Robert Kubica’s right forearm was cut in two places, with significant lesions to the bones and the tendons. We did our best to rebuild the functions of the forearm. Rehabilitation will be relatively long, probably one year. He came here with multiple traumas, with several associated injuries. He won't necessarily have to undergo further surgery on the hand, but he will if needed. Dr Rossello said that he expected it would take at least 12 months before Kubica would be able to drive an F1 car again - although he admitted racing drivers often recovered from injury far quicker than predicted."
It took seven doctors, split into two teams and a total of seven hours to complete the operation. One team was the emergency task force from the hospital of San Paolo (Savona) that is normally appointed to treat this sort of injury, while the other team came from the orthopaedic department of the Santa Corona Hospital (Pietra Ligure). At the end of the operation, Robert’s hand was well vascularised and warm, which is encouraging. Following the surgery, Robert Kubica will remain under permanent monitoring overnight because his condition remains serious.”
When asked what the best prediction for Kubica to be back racing, he said: "One year is the best provision.
"I think it is quite difficult now, but you never know. Drivers are always very special patients. I have a lot of motorbike patients and they heal in a much faster way - faster than normal people."
Eric Boullier, Team Principal and Managing Director of Lotus Renault GP: “The news of Robert’s accident came as a real shock to the whole team. All of us, at Lotus Renault GP, wish him a quick recovery. We have been really impressed with the way the doctors looked after him today and we would like to thank the whole team of the Santa Corona Hospital for their professional approach and dedication. I will be traveling to Italy tomorrow, along with Vitaly Petrov, in order to see Robert and tell him that we are impatiently waiting for his return.”
Kubica's co-driver Jakub Gerber emerged uninjured from the accident, and said he did not know what had caused the Pole to go off the road.
"We were on the first four kilometres of the first special stage. I was looking at the notes and didn't notice that the car was skidding," he told Gazzetta dello Sport. "Only when we crashed I saw Robert holding his arm, and after a few moments he lost consciousness.
"Robert isn't just a great driver, he is a friend. I just hope he can recover soon."
Kubica has received an outpouring of good wishes from the F1 community after news of his injuries emerged - with a host of drivers, including Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello, Heikki Kovalainen and Timo Glock - all expressing their hope that he recovers quickly.
Fernando Alonso, who is a good friend of Kubica's, even travelled to the Italian hospital on Sunday to speak to doctors - although it is not clear if he was able to see Kubica in person.
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