Kubica still a winner and eying Formula One return in 2014

By Berthold Bouman

Robert Kubica is back after his horrific rally accident in February last year, the Polish driver returned at the wheel of a Subaru Impreza WRC car and with his Italian co-driver Giuliano Manfredi won the Ronde Gomitolo di Lana Rally in Italy last weekend. Kubica won all four stages of the rally and finished almost one minute ahead of Omar Bergo in a WRC Mini.

Robert Kubica, Canada 2010

On Italian TV Kubica stressed the rally was actually a part of his recovery programme, “In the end it’s a matter of re-establishing the way of driving and helping the arm to recover better. Having been a driver for 20 years, my body is accustomed to certain things, and I can feel these things only while I drive, so we’ll see.”

But the 27-year old driver is still aiming for a Formula One return, “Being here is already a good step, but I would have preferred to be somewhere else. I still have a long road to travel and will probably never be at the same physical level as before but I don’t intend to give up.”

Just last week Lotus Team Principal Eric Boullier told the World of F1 blog Kubica had stopped his contact with Lotus himself. “He stopped contact with us months ago. I cannot make any assumptions about anything because I am not in contact with him anymore.” And he added, “I have contact with his management but nothing else. I’ve not been updated about his current state for a long time.”

Kubica’s manager Daniel Morelli has kept the Pole out of the publicity since his accident, he never gave any real interviews and there were no recent pictures of him available. That has changed now, as the former Lotus driver and winner of the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix, spoke freely with the Italian press, and for the first time the injuries to his right hand and arm were clearly visible, and it appears he still can not use his right hand and arm properly. Kubica spent months to recover from his accident as he refuses to give up his dream: Formula One.

“The aim remains to return to Formula One and the next few months will tell me whether I can do it next year already or will have to wait until 2014,” he said. “Of course, I am doing my best to be fully fit next year. During the coming months I will be able to decide what I will do in the future.

“I have tested rally cars on circuits lately and in the next months I will decide on what I will do in the future and what will give me maximum pleasure. I will also be able to say if a return to Formula 1 is possible or not. I am happy to be here. Sometimes in your life you have to be happy with where you are, however one would like to be somewhere else.”

Video of Kubica at the Ronde Gomitolo di Lana Rally – Video by Głuchy Domofon