Robert Kubica feared his horror rally crash had left him paralysed, the Polish driver’s manager has revealed.
After arriving at the Italian hospital in a critical condition last Sunday and having seven hours of surgery, the 26-year-old Renault driver was put in a coma.

He woke up this week and has been seeing visitors, and according to O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper he feared his badly damaged hand and other fractures and trauma were not his worst injuries.

“Robert asked me if his accident had left him paralysed, and he asked me to be honest,” manager Daniele Morelli revealed.

“I told him no, that he had nothing that could not be healed with time,” he added.

Autosprint claims that Kubica does not yet know all the details of his injuries, including that his right hand had been almost severed.

The Italian report also said he remembers nothing about the crash.

Morelli also revealed that Kubica asked for a photograph of the late Pope John Paul II, a fellow Pole, to be at his bedside.

“Robert is under the effect of sedatives to take away the pain, but I have seen him smiling, he’s okay. The war is over,” smiled Morelli.

“He is strong and tenacious and he will recover and be stronger than before.”

Meanwhile, in addition to his other injuries that are publicly known, it has emerged that Kubica has a damaged heel.

And elbow surgery is currently not possible because it would require the driver to be rolled onto his stomach, and he is also nursing a punctured lung.

It is understood that Kubica will not require further surgery to his hand.

His next visitor will reportedly be Giancarlo Fisichella, after Jean Alesi visited him on Wednesday.

“He is particularly pleased to know that he will be able to regain his physical abilities,” the Frenchman is quoted by autohebdo.fr.

Lotus-Renault team owner Gerard Lopez also visited Kubica on Wednesday.

“The important news is that Robert is alright. We hope he can return soon, because we built this team around him,” he told La Stampa.

Williams’ Frankfurt floatation is apparently timely, with reports claiming the famous British team has lost 43 per cent of its sponsors.
With an event in London on Wednesday, the team launched its 27 per cent stock market float set to begin on March 2.

In a statement issued beforehand, Williams said the share pricing values the business at EUR 265 million.

The statement said the team’s “sponsorship is fully secured for 2011″, with the floatation not designed to raise capital because “existing shareholders” – mainly Patrick Head – are selling up.

Bernie Ecclestone commented: “If I could buy shares in the company I would.”

But a less rosy picture was painted by a report in the Evening Standard, claiming that “new data” shows that Williams’ recent “sponsorship income has reversed”.

The report said the 43 per cent reversal from 2010 is the team’s “biggest in the past decade”.

Kimi Raikkonen can pull out of the 2011 world rally championship to return to F1 if he wants to.
That is the claim of Citroen’s rally chief Olivier Quesnel, amid reports the 2007 world champion is now contractually committed to rallying for this season.

The Finn and his management have not yet responded to multiple attempts by the formula one media to confirm rumours that Raikkonen, 31, is a candidate to replace the injured Robert Kubica at Renault this year.

After making his full-time world rally debut with Citroen last year, the former McLaren and Ferrari driver has announced he will drive a Citroen DS3 under the Ice 1 entry in 2011.

“If he wants to leave, I couldn’t say anything because he is a client,” Quesnel told RMC Sport.

“He has rented a car from us and drives with his own sponsors,” added the Citroen boss.

“I suppose there may be considerable pressure from Bernie Ecclestone, the FIA and the whole world of F1 who want to see him come back because he is still an emblematic driver for the sport.”

However, Quesnel indicated that he doesn’t think Raikkonen is too keen to go back to F1.

“If he is taking phone calls, they would have to be very convincing to get him back there,” he said.

Robert Kubica is slowly coming to terms with his injures and the lost opportunity of 2011.
That is the admission of the Pole’s manager Daniele Morelli, after Renault said on Tuesday that an improving Kubica “reacted well to the news about his condition and is ready to fight for his comeback”.

The reality, however, is that while the alarming medical bulletins have eased, the 26-year-old will be in hospital for weeks at least.

And there remain question-marks not about the future functionality of his right arm that was partially severed during a minor rally event last Sunday, but also his other injured limbs.

Morelli was one of the few people able to speak with Kubica on Tuesday while doctors eased pain sedatives in order to gauge the grand prix winner’s neurological condition.

“I told him about the accident, and the extent of his fractures and injuries, and Robert was shocked,” Morelli is quoted by O Estado de S.Paulo.

“He understood that he will be out (of F1) for quite a long time and he is suffering with that,” Kubica’s manager admitted.

“He would have already been driving the new car again at Jerez,” added Morelli.

At the end of his first stint with the new R31, Kubica ended the Valencia test last week with the fastest time overall.

“It’s the first time a team has conceived a car with Robert integrally in mind,” Morelli continued.

For F1, it is a tragedy that the R31/Kubica combination might have been a true title contender, but Morelli said the overriding feeling at present is relief.

“We are happy because for the first 12 hours the question was whether Robert would survive. When he reached the hospital his condition was critical,” he revealed.

“But now we are planning already to leave the ICU,” said Morelli.

Kubica’s manager also acknowledged the debate at present about the wisdom of combining being a full-time F1 driver with the much more dangerous pursuit of road rallying.

“Robert loves rallying, and he had done the previous 12 without any problems. Actually, I hadn’t thought about that — it looks like this was number 13,” he said.

13 is considered such bad luck that no competitor uses the number on the F1 grid.

And Morelli said Kubica’s reported EUR 6 million retainer for the 2011 season is the least of his concerns.

“Every driver has insurance,” he revealed, “but this is the matter that concerns us the least of all.

“We are all conscious of what lies ahead, the effort that is going to be put to have Robert sitting in a cockpit once again,” added Morelli.

Sebastian Vettel did not win the prestigious Laureus prize despite becoming F1′s youngest ever world champion.
The 23-year-old was nominated for the sportsman of the year gong but it was Spanish world number 1 tennis star Rafael Nadal who accepted the trophy on Monday night at the gala in Abu Dhabi.

And the Spanish national football team also beat Vettel’s nominated Red Bull team to the best international team prize.

Representing the world of premier motor racing, however, Valentino Rossi was awarded the world comeback of the year title.

Last year, the Italian took just 41 days to return to the saddle of his MotoGP bike after suffering an exposed leg fracture.

The plethora of German drivers is making it harder for Nico Hulkenberg to break through in formula one.

That is the claim of famous driver manager Willi Weber, who after watching his rookie charge Hulkenberg secure pole in Brazil last year was left scrambling to find the 23-year-old a new job.

Struggling Williams replaced Hulkenberg with the well-financed Pastor Maldonado, with Hulkenberg forced to sit out 2011 as Force India’s reserve and Friday driver.

There were seven Germans in F1 last year, but only five for the 2011 season as Hulkenberg and Nick Heidfeld lose their race seats.

“Nico has all the right qualities but he had to share the stage with many other Germans,” Weber told the Swiss publication Motorsport Aktuell.

“It’s like a cake; if you have to share it with seven others, the piece you have is small,” he explained.

Both Hulkenberg and Heidfeld are considered serious contenders to replace the injured Robert Kubica at Renault this year.

Bernie Ecclestone is the subject of ever-worsening claims about the sale of F1′s commercial rights five years ago.

It has already been alleged that it was the sport’s chief executive and long-time ‘supremo’ who paid German banker Gerhard Gribkowsky a mysterious $50 million kickback.

And the latest explosive details have been published by the German weekly Der Spiegel.

The report said F1′s current owner CVC Capital Partners paid $837 million for the share of the rights that at the time was controlled by the Munich bank BayernLB.

But BayernLB reportedly only received $770 million.

Der Spiegel alleges that $40 million was received directly by Ecclestone, with the other $27m flowing to his family trust Bambino.

Sebastien Bourdais is certain his formula one career is over.
After a dominant career on the American open-wheeler scene, the Frenchman switched to F1 in 2008 but struggled with Toro Rosso.

The junior Red Bull team dropped him mid-way through its next campaign and he has since raced in sports cars and the open wheel series Superleague.

Bourdais, now almost 32, recently tested an Indycar with an eye to a return to the American scene, but in an interview with sports.fr he admitted his F1 career is definitely over.

“For me, F1 is finished, and – anyway – I don’t want to run at the back any more.

“Unless someone comes to me with a very interesting offer, which I doubt very much, I turned the page after the Nurburgring in 2009 and I don’t miss it (F1) at all.

“I had some good races, some bad ones and some terrible (ones). I have the experience but I’ll be 32 soon so I am aware that the time has passed.

“I had my chance, it didn’t go exactly as I wanted, but it happened. Now, I am looking for other challenges,” added Bourdais.

Robert Kubica’s career is in the balance, and his 2011 season almost certainly over, after his rally crash on Sunday.
Also with right leg fractures reportedly caused by armco barriers piercing the car, the Pole underwent seven hours of surgery conducted by seven doctors in Italy with the main focus being efforts to save his badly damaged right arm and hand.

“He … suffered severe cuts to his forearm, which could have an impact on his right hand mobility,” confirmed his F1 employer Renault.

The statement said doctors are “reasonably satisfied” after the surgery, but 26-year-old Kubica remains in a serious condition in an induced coma.

“It has been a very important and difficult operation,” said hand surgeon Mario Ignor Rossello.

“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.

“At the end of the operation, Robert’s hand was well vascularised and warm, which is encouraging,” he added.

When asked by reporters about what the future holds for Kubica, he answered: “We will see in the next days what will happen.

“The danger is that in five or seven days we have vascular problems. He could have surgery again to resolve the problems.”

It has been suggested that Kubica will take at least a year to recover, but Rossello insisted: “Drivers are always very special patients. I have a lot of motorbike patients and they heal in the fastest way possible, much faster than normal people.”

It is believed Kubica’s friend Fernando Alonso has already visited him in hospital.

Among the candidates to replace Kubica in 2011 are team reserves Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean, new Force India third driver Nico Hulkenberg, Team Lotus driver Jarno Trulli and the out-of-work Nick Heidfeld and Vitantonio Liuzzi.

Although Robert Kubica’s condition is serious, the amputation of his hand injury has been ruled by the attending medical team at Hospital Santa Corona in Pietra Ligure.

According to the latest medical report, the operation on his injured hand of Robert Kubica will continue until late at night. Italian media speculated that the amputation appears to have been discarded. However, labor mobility is not yet known until after completing the operation, “it is too early to make accurate diagnoses,” said Dr. Riccardo Ceccarelli Renault team and the specialist Igor Rossello.

The manager Daniele Morelli said: “Surgeons are trying to reconstructed by Robert’s right hand.”

“Now they have to worry about muscle function, but Robert is a tough guy. He will succeed, “said Morelli.

His co-driver in the accident, Jakub Gerber said: “Robert was conscious. I still woke up several times, without really knowing what had happened. ”

Meanwhile, the accident triggered worldwide messages of great consternation. Many brokers sent their best wishes to Polish through Twitter, surprised by the tragic accident. “I’m thinking of Robert and hope to see you soon on the tracks, especially off the court, as a friend”, published Timo Glock.

Robert Kubica has been seriously injured in a rally crash in Italy, according to multiple media sources on Sunday.
The Pole was driving a Skoda Fabia in the Ronde di Andora rally near Genoa when he left the road at high speed and hit a church wall with the driver’s side.

26-year-old Kubica, who drives in F1 for Renault, had to be cut from the car and helicoptered to hospital while his co-driver escaped unhurt.

Initially, reports said Kubica had unspecified injuries but was conscious, amid expectations a detailed medical bulletin and press statement will be issued shortly.

The first official statement was distributed by Renault, confirming only that Kubica is in the Pietra Ligure hospital.

“Lotus Renault GP will issue another statement as soon as more information is known about Robert’s condition,” it read.

Media reports said he has multiple trauma injuries, with some claiming he has broken his femur, the largest bone in the leg, and that the rally event has been called off.

A report by the German news agency SID said Kubica’s hand or wrist is the most badly injured, with surgeons reportedly considering amputation.

The report said he is also injured internally, but Kubica’s father has been quoted in Polish reports as insisting his son’s life is not in danger.

The Italian marque’s F1 boss Paul Hembery has defended Pirelli after the first test of the 2011 pre-season at Valencia.

Several drivers have complained about the consistency but particularly the poor durability of the tyres supplied to teams at the first of four tests before the 2011 season opener.

Hembery said as the test began that the 2011 compounds are now in a “pretty definitive” specification for the first races.

But the subsequent feedback, at best, was mixed.

“Of the compounds available, some were more consistent than others,” Michael Schumacher told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

“I had some awkward moments on the track when I was on tyres that I had not been on for long. It was like driving on ice,” admitted the seven time world champion.

Schumacher, who struggled with departed Bridgestone’s tyres last year, hopes Pirelli is still willing to make changes.

“I think they are still in the testing phase and that they will deal with the situation well,” he said.

Hembery responded to the driver feedback of this week by suggesting that the ambient conditions at Valencia were not ideal.

“The tyres don’t like it too cold,” he is quoted by Turun Sanomat, confirming that Pirelli will make some tweaks ahead of the next tests.

“Another thing we have to remember that all tyres wear out, which is something some people seem to have forgotten in the last few days,” he insisted.

Yet another consideration is that, in the interests of the spectacle, Pirelli was specifically asked by Bernie Ecclestone to produce aggressive tyres for 2011 that force multiple pitstops.

“Some teams here have had a new car, some last year’s car. It is very early to draw conclusions,” Hembery said.

He added: “You can’t make decisions based on one set of comments or data or because someone wants something different, you need to have a general understanding.”

Pedro de la Rosa looks likely to remain Pirelli’s primary test driver this year.
The Spaniard admitted this week that, contrary to reports, a return to McLaren as reserve driver is unlikely, having failed to compile enough sponsorship to return to the grid with HRT.

It was also reported that his back-up plan for 2011 was to stay with F1′s new tyre supplier Pirelli, even though the Italian marque has not decided how to replace the ageing 2009 Toyota.

“Yes,” answered Pirelli’s Paul Hembery when asked at Valencia if de la Rosa, 39, is staying on board for 2011.

“(He will stay) unless he gets a drive somewhere else in F1, which is not looking likely at the moment.

“He is a great test driver, we’re delighted with what he’s been doing with us,” added Hembery.

Hembery also denied that Pirelli has already decided to visibly distinguish the different compounds this year by using different coloured branding on the sidewalls.

“That is still under discussion with the marketing people,” he insisted.

Meanwhile, contrary to reports that Karun Chandhok has definitely signed to be a reserve driver with Team Lotus this year, the Indian clarified that he has in fact not yet reached a deal.

The former HRT driver was at Valencia wearing a Lotus jacket on Wednesday, but boss Tony Fernandes said he was just a “guest” of the team.

Bernie Ecclestone has admitted that Spain is unlikely to continue to host two grands prix per season.
Currently, the Spanish grand prix is held at Barcelona, while the European grand prix is a newer and often-criticised street event in the port city Valencia.

A journalist asked whether, after a Rome race was ruled out because Italy already has a grand prix at Monza, Spain will also be limited to one event per year.

“Yes, that is a problem we are facing,” F1 chief executive Ecclestone said in an interview with La Repubblica.

As for rumours that CVC is looking to sell a part of the sport’s commercial rights, the 80-year-old Briton was less forthcoming.

“I don’t know, I’m just an employee!” he joked.

“As far as I know everyone is happy and not thinking about selling,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ecclestone said that if he was forced to bet some money on the outcome of the 2011 world championship, he would back Alonso.

Asked if his answer was merely to appease the Italian newspaper’s readership, he insisted: “No, no. When I talk about money I’m always very serious.”

During an interview with a German newspaper on Monday, Bernie Ecclestone did not want to talk about accusations of bribery and corruption.
Other publications in the country claim it was the F1 chief executive who paid under-fire banker Gerhard Gribkowsky a $50m kickback amid the sale of the sport’s commercial rights five years ago.

“On the advice of my lawyers I don’t want to say anything more on this issue,” said the 80-year-old, who has previously denied any connection with the bribe.

Ecclestone was slightly more forthcoming on the topic of the 2011 formula one season, but unlike last year – when he correctly predicted that Sebastian Vettel would win the title – he is not yet naming a favourite.

“There is the Spaniard (Fernando Alonso) in the red car who this year will not so easily accept defeat as in the last. Sebastian of course will be strong, and I trust Mercedes and Michael Schumacher to make a leap.

“Any more than that, I want to wait until after the first tests,” he insisted.

Ecclestone, however, is rarely uncontroversial in interviews, so he threw some more fuel on the fire of a spat with authorities in Melbourne.

“20 races is enough,” he answered when asked about the future of F1.

“If we have some new races, some others will fall out — we don’t need Australia, for instance.”