Adam Cooper F1

YouTube continues to throw more light on the Robert Kubica accident, and today a video emerged from the car that was running behind the Pole on the stage yesterday.

Although it shows the crashed car – shortly after 3mins in – it does not  show any uncomfortable detail, so I feel it’s appropriate to use here on the basis that it indicates just how committed Robert is to rallying in wanting to tackle a stage that looks, to say the least, like a major challenge.

Full marks too for the drivers concerned for stopping to help, as is the way in rallying.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALbxMiwf4nw

With the Lotus Renault GP team now effectively acknowledging that Robert Kubica could be out for the season, attention inevitably moves to the identity of who could replace him.

The fact that the seat is potentially available for the whole year – and that any driver signed in the next few days will still get six days of testing at Jerez, Barcelona and Bahrain – puts a whole new complexion on things. Assuming that Vitaly Petrov drives on the first two days, then there will be a car waiting for the new driver in Jerez on Saturday February 12.

Bruno Senna was revealed exactly a week ago today as the team’s main reserve driver, on the basis that he raced last year and would thus be relatively fresh, should he be called upon. However even the Brazilian would accept that given its ambitions to win races sooner rather than later – and the R31 was fastest in Valencia after all – for a full season the team has to take a proven driver who can get the job done.

Given the changes over the winter, the number of free agents who raced last year is surprisingly small. Of those who raced in 2010 and are without a current contract with a team, Kubica’s former team mate Nick Heidfeld has to be top of the list, while it’s unlikely that Tonio Liuzzi or Pedro de la Rosa would tick all the boxes for Genii and Group Lotus.

Of those already committed elsewhere, the only third driver with obvious qualifications is Nico Hulkenberg, but it remains to be seen whether his contractual situation with Force India would make it easy for him to take up a chance elsewhere.

While there are probably a few contracted race drivers up and down the pitlane who might envy the Renault seat, it would take a lot of shuffling around for anyone to jump ship.

The one name that keeps springing to mind is Kimi Raikkonen. He’s committed to a part WRC season with Citroen, and has been pretty ambivalent about a possible return to F1. He even had a bit of a war of words in the media with Renault last year after his name came up as a possible 2011 driver.

The difference is that the team didn’t need him then, and he would have been joining a team that already had Robert Kubica. Indeed Petrov was pretty much confirmed anyway, and the fact that the Russian always looked likely to stay means that any discussion of Kimi’s prospects was academic.

This time it’s different. He has the chance of a full season, with six days of testing, in a car that could turn out to be competitive. Group Lotus will certainly be keen to have a big name, and his presence will suit Dany Bahar, who was still at Ferrari when Kimi was there. He wants to be like Ferrari, so hiring the Italian team’s last World Champion is not a bad plan…

Bernie Ecclestone, who likes to get involved in these things, will also be keen to see Kimi back. The Finn still has a huge following, and it would mean yet another World Champion on the grid.

It’s probably not widely known that Kubica and Raikkonen are good friends off track – they share a dislike of the BS that floats around the sport, as well as a passion for rallying – and I am sure that Robert would be the first to tell Eric Boullier and Gerard Lopez that Kimi is the man for the job.

And Lotus Renault would have obvious appeal for Kimi, in that he won’t have the sort of PR commitments that he faced at McLaren and Ferrari. A one-year deal would at least get him back in the game – he could either walk off in 2012, or put himself in a position to go elsewhere.

It might seem a long shot, but then everyone laughed on Sunday morning in Hungary in 2009 when I suggested that Schumacher could stand-in for Massa, including Willi Weber…

There are complications in terms of his arrangements with Red Bull and Citroen, and the winter ‘misunderstanding’ would have to be cleared up. But in the end it’s likely to come down to one thing. Will Kimi want to do it?

Late last night Lotus Renault GP issued a statement explaining Robert Kubica’s condition. It confirmed previously published details of the operation, but added that he was in an induced coma overnight.

The team also formally acknowledged that there were questions marks over whether he would regain mobility of his right arm.

The statement reads: “Robert Kubica underwent a seven-hour operation at the Santa Corona Hospital in Pietra Ligure this 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 this morning. He also suffered severe cuts to his forearm, which could have an impact on his right hand mobility. Doctors are reasonably satisfied with the way the operation went. Tonight, Robert’s condition remains stable but serious. He has been placed into an induced coma and could be woken up in the morning.”

Meanwhile the team quoted Prof Mario Igor Rossello as saying: “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. 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.”

Team principal Eric Boullier says he is visiting Robert on Monday:”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 travelling to Italy tomorrow, along with Vitaly Petrov, in order to see Robert and tell him that we are impatiently waiting for his return.”

A video has shown up on YouTube of Prof Igor Rossello explaining – in English – the details of Robert Kubica’s operation.

As mentioned here earlier, Rossello makes it clear that it will be a year before Kubica can hope to have proper use of his right arm again, explaining that the first job was to “reconstruct the whole anatomy of the forearm.”

The video, which begins with shots of Fernando Alonso visiting the hospital, originates from Il Vostro Giornale.

Robert Kubica has completed a seven hour operation under Italian hand surgery specialist Prof Igor Rossello, but it will be some time before his true condition becomes clear.

“We have to wait at least a week to see if his hand survives,” Rossello told Italian media, referring to the likelihood of a return to full functionality. He added that it could take a year for the Pole to be able to use his right arm again.

Rossello, a specialist from the nearly San Paulo Hospital in Savona, was joined by Renault’s own doctor, Riccardo Ceccarelli.

Kubica underwent bone reconstruction before the doctors attended to tissue and nerve damage, while a separate team worked on his injured leg.

Robert Kubica is still undergoing surgery in Italy, and while his right hand has been saved, it is not clear what lasting damage the Pole might have.

Kubica is in the Santa Corona hospital in Pietra Ligure, where his treatment is being overseen by Dr Riccardo Ceccarelli, the doctor of the Lotus Renault GP team. Also involved is Professor Igor Rossello, a locally based specialist.

In fact it seems that Kubica may have had some good fortune, because Rossello, the Director of the Regional Centre of Hand Surgery at the Hospital Sao Paolo in Savona, is apparently a world renowned expert in the field.

Kubica’s manager Daniele Morelli says it’s too soon to speculate upon the process of recovery.

“Unfortunately the impact with the guardrail caused serious harm,” Morelli told the Italian media outside the hospital. “He has been diagnosed with multiple fractures to his leg and right arm, especially complications related to his right hand. We shall see later if the operation was successful. The clinical picture is not easy. We expect to make the necessary assessments tonight.”

“The surgeons are trying to restore the functionality of his right hand. We must now think about the muscle function, but Robert has a very strong temper and will succeed.

“The important thing is that Robert recoveries, as it has already proven to do with the incident in Canada. On that occasion it took him three months to get back on track.”

Kubica’s co-driver Jakub Gerber, who escaped unharmed, has been quoted as saying: “(He) was conscious, then fainted and woke up a couple of times, without having full knowledge of what has happened.”

Reports suggest that the road surface was damp at the time of the accident, and it’s now clear that Kubica’s injuries were caused by the Skoda hitting the end of a barrier, which penetrated the footwell of the car.

Lotus Renault GP has issued the following statement on Robert Kubica’s condition:

“After undergoing extensive medical checks this morning, Robert Kubica has been diagnosed with multiple fractures to his right arm, leg and hand. He is currently undergoing surgery at the Santa Corona Hospital in Pietra Ligure.

“Robert suffered a high-speed accident this morning while competing in the Ronde di Andora Rally.

“Daniel Morelli, Robert’s manager, will be available for the press in front of the hospital emergency entrance at 16h30 CET.”

It seems likely that his injuries were caused by the end of a barrier penetrating the cockpit.

A video that has emerged on Youtube shows the extent of the damage to Robert Kubica’s Skoda after his crash in Italy this morning.

Early pictures showed the driver’s door in place and relatively undamaged, but it seems that his injuries might not have been caused by an impact to the side, which explains why they are to his right side.

The car clearly hit the end of a guardrail and it now seems likely that the barrier penetrated the cockpit. The video also shows that the rollcage was cut away by the rescue team.

The video originates with Il Vostro Giornale.

Robert Kubica has suffered serious injuries in a rally accident in Italy this morning.

Kubica crashed his Skoda into a guardrail outside a church in the town of Testico on the Andora Rally in Savona. His most serious injuries involve his right leg and his hand/wrist, although his co-driver escaped unhurt.

Italian newspaper La Stampa reported: “The navigator of Kubica, Jakub Gerber, escaped unhurt while the car Kubica remained inside the car. He was transferred by helicopter to Genoa Santa Corona Hospital where doctors found multiple fractures. The pilot is in serious condition but the prognosis is not life threatening.”

Lotus Renault GP has issued the following statement: “Lotus Renault GP driver, Robert Kubica, suffered an accident at high speed this morning while competing in the Ronde di Andora Rally. The driver was airlifted to Pietra Ligure Hospital, where he is currently undergoing medical checks. His co-driver is fine. Lotus Renault GP will issue another statement as soon as more information is known about Robert’s condition.”

Former FIA President Max Mosley has given a fascinating interview to the Financial Times, in which he discusses his battle with the media, his campaign for tougher privacy laws, and the interest in S&M that got him into the public spotlight  in the first place.

Mosley’s lawyers have recently been at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg on his behalf.

“The average media person is so horrified at the thought of any kind of regulation, that they cease to think rationally about it,” Mosley told writer Lucy Kellaway. “When the tabloids get a story that’s absolutely outrageous, a total violation of someone’s privacy, they keep it completely secret, and then publish it knowing that once it’s out, the victim won’t sue.

“Destroying people’s lives for the sake of selling a few newspapers is utterly, completely wrong. I always thought someone ought to stop it. And then suddenly I found myself in the situation where this story had been written about me, I was about to retire, I’ve got the resources, and I’ve the time. If anyone’s going to do it, it should be me.”

Mosley indicated his frustration at now being known for the News of the World affair.

“What they’ve done is so total and awful. You see, I was born into this rather strange family and then at a certain point you get away from that.

“I started working away in motor racing and you gradually build yourself a sort of aura. The work I did on road safety made me think I’ve done something quite good in my life. I’ve got all sorts of awards from governments in different countries and then, suddenly, something like this comes up – which is just something you happened to do – and it becomes the defining element of your image.”

Regarding the exposure of people in the public eye, Mosley said: “If someone is a role model and they’re doing something they shouldn’t do, the last thing you want to do is expose that. You have to ask, does what this person say achieve the objective of persuading people to behave better? Whether he’s actually doing it or not is beside the point as long as it doesn’t come out.

“In the end people are hypocritical. What’s so wrong with hypocrisy?”

Mosley also made some interesting comments about his parents, who were jailed during WW2 as Nazi sympathizers.

“I remember when I was with my nanny in the country, every now and then we’d go and visit these two people in this strange building. It all felt completely normal. I can remember the inside of Holloway jail. There was an open space with asphalt and a few little plants. Then when my parents came out, I only saw them maybe once a day. My father was always very nice to me.”

The interview goes on to discuss the drug related death of Mosley’s son, and his own interest in S&M, revealing that it began at age three or four.

If you want to read more check out the ‘life and arts section’ at http://www.ft.com