Robert Kubica is said to have gotten back behind the wheel of a rally car

Since his accident at the Ronde di Andorra rally in February 2011, news about Robert Kubica has often been contradictory. Thus, earlier in the week, Jaime Alguersuari played the harbinger of bad news regarding the real health condition of the former Renault driver: “The latest information I have received about him is not very good. He cannot even drink using his hand. I mean to say that he cannot grab a glass with his hand and drink on his own… that doesn’t seem very good to me,” stated the new consultant for the BBC.

However, as if to contradict the words of the Spaniard, the Italian magazine Autosprint reveals that Robert Kubica has taken the wheel of a race car again, specifically his own rally car, a private Skoda Fabia WRC. Thus, on Wednesday, February 29, in Rovegno, in the Genoa region, the Pole reportedly carried out a few kilometers of testing in his own race car, assisted by the men from Team Erreffe. No information on the conduct of these tests has been communicated, and without Jaime Alguersuari’s media outing, they would undoubtedly have remained secret for some time.

This announcement also comes on the same day as an interview given to the Gazetta dello Sport by Gérard Lopez, where the owner of the Lotus team expresses his regrets about how relations have evolved with the Polish driver: « I am sad for what happened: it was very difficult for us and even more so for Robert. We did everything, and more, respecting the agreement we had with him. We were ready to continue with him and find a way to get him back in the car as soon as possible and maybe later in the championship. But I am not at all happy with what happened next. We couldn’t do more! I don’t think it came from Robert… » comments Lopez, referring to the media-contractual misunderstanding that led to the separation of the two parties at the end of last season.

Gérard Lopez also admits that the rumors linking the Polish driver to Ferrari for 2013 played a major role in the deterioration of relations between the driver’s camp and the Lotus team, which then refused to help Robert Kubica unless he committed to the team beyond 2012: « We knew that a return of Robert in 2011 was not possible. We did not pressure him, but his management put pressure on him. I don’t know if it had anything to do with their interest in Ferrari, but our door remained closed for a long time. »

But ultimately, Lotus decided to close that door, seizing the opportunity to make a fresh start with Kimi Räikkönen. However, the owner of the Lotus F1 Team still holds his former driver in very high regard: “I still think Kubica is part of the exclusive circle of drivers who can win with a car that isn’t the best. It’s a great loss.” A sentiment shared by Bernie Ecclestone in an interview with the Gazetta dello Sport: “The absence of Kubica makes me suffer! I hope he can return to a Formula One cockpit as soon as possible.”