Kubica: “The unknown is whether he will be able to be as fast”
While Robert Kubica's rehabilitation manager estimated this week that it would take several more months for the LRGP driver to be fit for service, the surgeon who operated on him is pleased with the work accomplished and believes that only the verdict of the track can now seal the fate of the Pole in Formula One.
Just a few days ago, the statements from doctor Ricciardo Ceccarelli, in charge of Robert Kubica’s rehabilitation following his terrible accident at the Ronde di Andora Rally, left little room for optimism about the Polish driver’s chances of competing in the 2012 Formula One season, with the doctor assuring that it would still take several more months for his patient to be ready.
However, on the airwaves of the Polish radio station Trojce, Igor Rossello, a specialist in hand surgery who performed various operations on the Lotus Renault GP driver, is more optimistic: « He has recovered, he can move and lift with all his fingers. We can now consider getting him back in a car as soon as possible… sorry, in a racing car because he is already driving a road car. His recovery is a miracle, but the unknown is whether he will be as fast. »
However, the surgeon admits that the Polish driver will need to undergo another surgical procedure to help with the mobility of his wrist: « In this type of accident, the hand is never as flexible as before. Then, it will require a lot of exercise, but he will be able to drive his Formula One car again and press all the buttons: we are talking about a race car driver, not a pianist. […] He will have some limitations – we must remember that amputation was considered – but it will be up to the F1 specialists to determine if he is fast enough. We have done our job perfectly. »
It is indeed worth remembering that Jean-Pierre Beltoise’s locked elbow, a consequence of an accident during the 1963 12 Hours of Reims, did not prevent the Frenchman from achieving a brilliant victory at the Monaco Grand Prix in 1972. Therefore, there is every hope regarding the chances of seeing the Polish driver return to Formula One, even though there will always be doubt about the aftereffects of his accident until he is back behind the wheel of a Formula One car.
