Kubica to attend late Pope beatification on May 1

Robert Kubica is recovering so well he is reportedly planning to attend the beatification of his late Polish countryman and former Pope John Paul II on May 1.

The Renault driver, recovering from horrific rally crash injuries in an Italian hospital, already has a fragment of the late pontiff's robe and a drop of his blood in a medallion to help aid his recovery.

300,000 pilgrims are expected to descend on Rome on May 1 for the beatification ceremony, the first step to sainthood for John Paul II.

The news agency SID said 26-year-old Kubica's recovery is going so well it has "surprised doctors", as he is already putting weight on his badly injured foot, clenching the fist on his injured right hand, and pushing to leave the hospital soon.

Source: F1Zone

Alonso's Blog: A weekend to tackle one day at a time

I arrived in Malaysia a few days ago, having stayed a while in Australia, on Hamilton Island. I decided to stay in this part of the world so as to be used to the local time zone, given we now take on two races in the Far East, first in Sepang and then in Shanghai. It’s important to get used to the weather conditions, especially here where the temperatures are around the 30 °C mark and, much more significantly, it’s very humid. I have done some sport, because it’s essential to keep training: in this race you lose a lot of liquid and it’s very tough driving in these conditions, so you need to be on top form to tackle the weekend properly. Being 100% ready in this respect can make all the difference on Sunday afternoon as even on a mental level, this race is very special.

The fact that the weather can change so quickly here makes the preparation work for the various phases of work on track more stressful. Suddenly it can go from sunshine to a short sharp shower and you need to be prepared for every eventuality. It’s not just a problem for us drivers, as its affects the whole team: in some cases you need to be ready with a plan B or C, or even maybe a D for all the various scenarios!

Luckily it’s not all been work, as I was able to have some fun too which is good as it helps you unwind at such a busy time: from the start of testing there hasn’t been much of a break in this bit of the season.

I stayed in touch with the engineers, via email and phone. We re-examined the way the weekend had gone in Melbourne and we discussed our preparations for here in Sepang. We know we have to improve our performance level, but we are equally aware that in the end, the race result was not such a disaster. We will have a few minor updates on the car, but nothing very significant, or the sort of thing you could say would be the key to take a leap forward in performance terms. I believe we must stay concentrated on our own work and try to understand how to get all the potential out of the 150° Italia and I’m sure there’s plenty to come. Before we achieve that, it’s pointless standing here making predictions about how the weekend will turn out. We just have to tackle it one day at a time.

My happiest memory of Sepang circuit goes back to my first ever pole position, which I secured on 22 March 2003. Neither myself, nor my team, Renault, had expected that sort of result on Saturday morning, but come the end of qualifying, we found ourselves with both cars on the front row. It was a very happy moment and I can still clearly remember how the afternoon went, then the dinner and Sunday morning, when I was thinking about what would happen in the race. Every time I come back here, I think of that weekend, at the happiness of taking pole and the feeling of trepidation going into the race. I did not win, as later happened in 2005 and 2007, but I was still third and so managed to jump up on the podium for the first time. It was definitely a weekend to remember for a long time!

Source: Ferrari.com

'Impossible' to predict Kubica return

Renault's team doctor, Riccardo Ceccarelli, admits that at this stage it is still not possible to predict when Robert Kubica may return to F1

The Pole sustained multiple fractures to an arm, leg and a partially-severed right hand during an accident in Ronda di Andora Rally in Italy which required numerous surgeries to repair.

Despite the injuries being potentially career-threatening, Kubica has vowed to be back in a race car by the end of the year. However, Ceccarelli has called for caution in making hasty judgements as to when he would be back.

"This is obviously a question we cannot answer. No one can answer when or how, because we can only say that the surgeons did a great job," said Ceccarelli.

"Robert is very strong and he is recovering in a good way. But, there is a third factor which is nature - how will nature be with him? Nice or not? Fast or not? This is something we cannot say.

"So it is question that is impossible to answer. We only think we have two positive aspects: the job done by the doctors and Robert, who is strong. So, these are the only things we have at the moment. All the rest is impossible to say."

"What we can say - this year, next year or three years? It makes no sense [to say] in this moment. I can only tell what I know.

"And what I told you is exactly what we know - he has made a good job, he is reacting well and it will take time, a long time. After that, honestly, I am not a magician so honestly I cannot say anything more than this."

Ceccarelli confirmed that 26-year-old is making good progress,

"Robert is getting better every day. I see that he is recovering, psychologically and physically, very quickly. This is not a surprise for us because we know Robert very well," he said.

Particularly pleasing is the news that Kubica is able to move the fingers in his damaged hand.

"Robert is moving fingers, he is moving his wrist. So it is good. That is positive but we cannot predict anything else," added Ceccarelli.

Source: Planet-F1

Saluting ten years in F1 for Fernando Alonso

A stellar career in karting and a Formula Nissan title earned the Spaniard a test drive for Minardi. On the day he was 1.5 seconds quicker than the other young drivers lined up for the test which also included Marc Gene.

In 2000 he finished fourth in the Formula 3000 championship (at the time the steppingstone to F1) and was signed to race for Minardi in F1 for the 2001 season.

The Minardi PS01, was neither fast nor reliable. However Alonso’s qualifying performance was good, out-qualifying team-mate Tarso Marques by 2.6 seconds on his debut and four races later, at Imola, he out-qualified both Benettons, a feat he repeated later in the season.

The young Spaniard had arrived and suddenly he was hot property as his performances in the Minardi were not going unnoticed. A number of teams were enquiring about him and he was at one point under consideration for a seat at Sauber F1 Team. The drive with the Swiss team went to Felipe Massa…

In 2002, Alonso’s manager Falvio Briatore was tempted to drop Jenson Button from the Benetton line-up but instead made Alonso the team’s test driver. Here the youngster from Oviedo relished the opportunity to spend time testing and gathering track mileage, and this he did racking up almost 8000 km in the cockpit. His work ethic impressed those around him. Alonso also did a test with Jaguar team in May that season.

The following year, 2003, Briatore dropped Button in favour of Alonso ,who joined Jarno Trulli in the team’s new guise as Mild Seven Renault F1 Team – the Renault works effort in their return to the top echelon of the sport.

That year Alonso suffered his biggest accident to date when he crashed at 290 kph crash during the Brazilian Grand Prix. He survived unscathed. A few races later the Spaniard became the youngest driver to achieve a F1 pole position at the Malaysian Grand Prix. He finished second at his home grand prix two races later, and at the time became the youngest driver to win a F1 race at the Hungarian Grand Prix. He finished the year sixth in the championship, with 55 points and four podiums.

In the 2004 season, a win eluded Alonso but he scored podiums in Australia, France, Germany and Hungary. In France he took pole position and finished second, running Michael Schumacher close for victory. He ended the year fourth in the championship standings with 59 points.

From 2000 to the end of 2004 Schumacher and Ferrari had dominated the F1 world championship in commanding fashion, taking five world titles on the trot. The record was about to come to an end.

In 2005 Alonso and Renault brought the red stranglehold on F1 to a halt. The Spaniard won seven times and was on the podium on 15 occasion,s on his way to his first F1 title and bringing an end to the Ferrari/Schumacher incredible run.

Alonso said after claiming his first title, “I just want to dedicate this championship to my family, and all my close friends who have supported me through my career. Spain is not a country with an F1 culture, and we had to fight alone, every step of the way, to make this happen. A huge thank-you should also go to the team as well — they are the best in Formula One, and we have done this together. It will say that I am world champion, but we are all champions — and they deserve this.”

Alonso and Renault were on a role and the Spaniard made it back to back titles as he scored another seven victories en route to the 2006 title. Again defeating his arch rival Schumacher in the Ferrari.

In 2007 Alonso, as world champion, moved to the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team. Hence began a torrid association which only lasted a year and was severely marred by animosity between Alonso, the McLaren management and a precocious talent in the form of Lewis Hamilton. In a season filled with behind the scenes intrigue, politics, accusations, spying, blackmail and non-stop drama it was quite clear that Alonso and McLaren were not meant to be. The Spaniard returned to the comfort of Renault despite four wins and third place in the championship with the Woking team.

The 2008 and 2009 seasons with Renault were poor by Alonso’s standard. The team was no longer the power it was and his one year absence had seen development sink the team to the midfield zone. Thus 35 races over the two years delivered one race win, his controversial “crashgate” victory at the 2009 Singapore GP.

By this point it was no secret that Ferrari was set on obtaining the Spaniard’s services and did so by paying Kimi Raikkonen a substantial amount to leave. The Finn moved on to the World Rally Championship which opened the door for Alonso’s move to Maranello.

The ensuing love affair would do any soap opera proud as Alonso and Ferrari shared a glorious honeymoon, the Spaniard sparing no opportunity to endear himself to the tifosi and Ferrari management. And vice versa.

In 2010, Alonso won his first ever race for Ferrari in Bahrain, and was a title contender to the very last race, scoring five wins and finishing second in the championship. A major gaffe by his team in the final grand prix of the season cost him the title. In a nutshell Alonso started the Abu Dhabi GP with an eight-point lead, and qualified third but a major strategic error saw him finish seventh. Vettel won on the night and became world champion.

For 2011, despite denials by all and sundry, Alonso is the Ferrari team leader and will remain so unless his team mate Felipe Massa can make a huge leap in performance. Alonso’s romance with Ferrari continues as the Spaniard continues to use every opportunity possible to eulogise his team.

As any of the great drivers in modern Formula 1 history, including the likes of Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, controversy has followed Alonso along the way.

We highlight some of the controversial moments in his career to date:

• At the 2003 European Grand Prix, David Coulthard and McLaren managing director Martin Whitmarsh accused Alonso of giving Coulthard a brake test. This was in relation to a passage of racing towards the end of the race when Coulthard was trying to overtake Alonso, who was holding him up. Coulthard swerved off the track and into retirement during an attempted overtake. After talking to the drivers and viewing telemetry and video data, the FIA stewards decided that the incident did not warrant any “further judicial action”.

• At the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix, Alonso was involved in an incident in which he brake tested Red Bull Racing test driver Robert Doornbos in the second free practice session. The stewards decided that Alonso’s actions were “unnecessary, unacceptable and dangerous”, and awarded him a one second time penalty to be applied to his fastest lap time in each of the qualifying sessions.

• After a separate incident from the same race, when Michael Schumacher was asked whether he thought Alonso deliberately slowed down so that Schumacher had to pass him under red flags in practice, Schumacher replied, “You said that, I didn’t.”

• In the 2006 Italian Grand Prix, after stewards ruled Alonso had potentially blocked Felipe Massa in Saturday qualifying and relegated him five places on the starting grid, Alonso stated “I love the sport, love the fans coming here — a lot of them from Spain but I don’t consider Formula One like a sport any more”.

• In the qualifying for the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix, while both McLarens were in the pits, Alonso remained stationary in the McLaren pit for a few seconds. This delayed the then provisional pole sitter and team-mate Lewis Hamilton long enough to prevent him from getting another ‘hot lap’ in. Alonso then went on to claim pole. McLaren boss Ron Dennis later said the team had got “out of sequence” when Hamilton did not as agreed allow Alonso past earlier in the qualifying session. He added that Alonso was “under the control of his engineer” when he was waiting in the pit lane. However, Alonso was subsequently given a five-place grid penalty and his McLaren team were docked the 15 constructors’ World Championship points they would have earned in the race.

• As a result of this investigation, it emerged that some team members within McLaren, among them Alonso, were aware of confidential information belonging to the Ferrari team. This information was commented on to Alonso by McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa who had also received information from McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan. The email contained text suggesting that Alonso was surprised by the data and doubted its authenticity. According to the “spygate” related email exchanges between Alonso and de la Rosa, it was clear that Alonso knew about Ferrari’s pit strategies in the Australian Grand Prix and Bahrain Grand Prix. Alonso finished 2nd and 5th respectively in those races. Ron Dennis told the FIA about the case during the Hungarian Grand Prix. Amid media allegations that Alonso threatened Dennis with reporting the team to FIA himself if he was not given number one driver status, Ron Dennis stated in a televised interview that there had been an argument, and that Alonso had said something in the heat of the moment but immediately apologised. This was when Dennis found out about Ferrari data and immediately informed the FIA.

• In what became known in the media as “Crashgate”, Renault allegedly ordered Alonso’s teammate Nelson Piquet, Jr. to crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, causing a safety-car incident at a moment where Alonso would get tremendous benefit from his race strategy, putting him towards the front of the field, and giving him a fighting chance to win the race, after a number of opponents (Felipe Massa, Robert Kubica and Kimi Raikkonen to name a few) suffered. However, the FIA confirmed that no evidence had shown that Alonso had knowledge of the plan, and neither did many of the personal mechanics of both drivers. Piquet has gone on record recently stating that Alonso was not involved and not to blame for the incident.

• In the 2010 German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, Alonso became involved in a controversy with team-mate Massa, as Ferrari were accused of using team orders during the race. The incident started when Massa was leading the race and Ferrari engineer Rob Smedley said “Fernando is faster than you. Can you confirm you understood that message?”. Shortly after this, Massa slowed down and was overtaken by Alonso in what appeared to be team orders. Shortly after the race notable people of the senior personnel in Ferrari, Massa and Alonso were summoned to the stewards. The matter was then referred to the FIA World Motor Sport Council. and Ferrari were given a $100,000 fine but the result of the race was unchanged.

• In the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Alonso was seen gesticulating furiously at Vitaly Petrov on the slowing down lap in front of TV cameras, and initially it seemed that he had blamed the young Russian for costing him the world crown as he ended up being unable to find a way past the Renault driver while race winner Sebastian Vettel was crowned world champion. However, Alonso denied accusations that he had accused him of denying the Spaniard the title.

Photo gallery commemorating Fernando Alonso’s ten years in Formula 1, from his debut at the 2001 Australian GP for Minardi to the last F1 test in Barcelona at the wheel of a Ferrari.

Photo gallery here: Alonso 10 years at the top

Source: YallaF1

It's a relief Kimi is not coming back

When Kimi Räikkönen quit Formula One to go top flight rallying, there were few feelings of regret through the paddock ranks and, indeed, a sigh of "good riddance" from some.

The glum-faced Finn's refrigerated persona and dead-pan response to most questions posed beyond the precincts of a nightclub bar after midnight where he was more relaxed endeared him to few in Formula One.

On the other hand, his transfixing ability and speed when he put his mind to it triggered widespread admiration, more especially when he captured the world crown with Ferrari in 2007 before his stardom faded under the onslaught of, first, Lewis Hamilton and then the Briton's subsequent McLaren teammate Jenson Button. But he forsook his near £30 million (Dh178 million) a year wages with the Prancing Horse legends and gave up grands prix for international rallying two years ago for a fraction of Ferrari salary.

Since then, and with mixed fortunes and some scary crashes over the rough stuff, the 31-year-old has pondered on the wisdom of his fleeing the F1 scene with spasmodic temptations for him to return. The latest, after he was wooed by Renault at the end of last year, was to be mooted for the seat left vacant by Robert Kubica's unfortunate and perhaps career-ending crash in a no-account rally in which he almost lost a hand and has suffered 24 hours of surgery since.

No interest

But Räikkönen, no doubt boosted by his encouraging eighth place in the Swedish World Rally round, has dampened any flames of hope of his comeback, a la Michael Schumacher, by insisting: "I have no interest in returning to Formula One". He left no room for doubt, no hint that he could be stalling for a big pay day or that the magic of F1 still tempts him, when he summarily dismissed the rumours even as Renault, no doubt fearful of the embarrassment of a rebuttal, plumped instead for German Nick Heidfeld.

"I do not want to talk about Formula One," stressed Citroen works driver Raikkonen, a Grand Prix winner 18 times, second twice and third once in the championship chase as well as being crowned king. "Rallying is where I want to be," he added from behind his familiarly blank face. "And it is good to be back for another season."

So that's that then. Now all of us who have ever tried to stir him to anything other than a stony-faced and cold response to our questions may breathe a sigh of relief.

Source: GulfNews

Helmut Marko says Renault and Mercedes trailing

Helmut Marko has backed paddock sentiment that Red Bull and Ferrari are heading into the 2011 season as the early favourites for the title.

“Red Bull and Ferrari are at eye-level,” the energy drink-owned team’s driver consultant told Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung.

“And McLaren has the potential to catch up before the start of the season,” added Marko.

Another potential frontrunner is Renault, after Robert Kubica and then his replacement Nick Heidfeld so impressed at recent Spanish tests.

“Renault are showing they are a lot more competitive than they were last year,” Fernando Alonso said in a television interview, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

German Heidfeld, however, is not quite as confident.

“My guess is that there are still some teams ahead of us — especially Red Bull,” he is quoted by F1′s official website on Wednesday.

Red Bull’s Marko agrees: “Mercedes and Renault are not quite at the level of the top three.”

Source: YallaF1

Robert Kubica 'recovering well' says his surgeon

Robert Kubica is recovering well and is psychologically "strong", according to a surgeon who has operated on him

The 26-year-old Pole has been in hospital near Genoa, Italy, since he was seriously hurt in a crash while competing in a rally on 6 February.

Dr Igor Rossello said: "The good news is there have been no complications following all the surgery he has had.

"He is doing pretty well and his condition is positive considering what he has been through."

Dr Rossello, who operated on Kubica's right hand, which was nearly severed in the crash, added: "What is very important is there is no sign of infection, which is the main concern, and he also no longer needs intensive care, so he has begun the rehabilitation process."

He added that Kubica, who finished eighth in the 2010 drivers' table, had regained "a little bit of sensitivity" in the hand and was able to slightly flex his fingers.

Kubica has undergone three operations since his car left the road in the Ronde di Andora.

In addition to the hand injury, he sustained multiple fractures to a leg and arm.

The medical team attending Kubica say he will spend at least two more weeks at the Santa Corona hospital in Petra Ligure, while he is recovering from the operations.

Kubica is expected to miss the entire 2011 season, although he told Gazzetta dello Sport last week that he was aiming to return to F1 before the end of the year.

Renault have since named his former BMW Sauber team-mate Nick Heidfeld as his stand-in.

"He [Kubica] is no longer in pain and his psychological condition is pretty good," added Rossello, in an interview on the Renault website.

"He's obviously keen to start the rehabilitation work as soon as possible. For the next couple of weeks he will stay here so we can monitor his condition.

"During that time there is still the possibility of infection and other complications, so he will have the dressings on his hand changed every few days."

Source: BBC Sport

Renault’s message to Kubica from Barcelona

The Renault F1 team gathered for a team photo with a pit board wishing Robert Kubica to get well soon.

Prior to start of the second day of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Barcelona, the team including drivers Vitaly Petrov and Bruno Senna posed for a picture in the Circuit de Catalunya pitlane.

Kubica, who was injured in a freak rally accident earlier this month, was yesterday transferred from intensive care unit to the rehabilitation department to continue his recovery.

The Renault F1 team have appointed Nick Heidfeld to replace Kubica.

Source: YallaF1

Kubica reveals identity of his preferred replacement

A source close to Crash.net has revealed that injured Lotus Renault GP star Robert Kubica has named the driver he would like to see stand in for him at the Enstone-based outfit in F1 2011

Robert Kubica has revealed who he would like to see substituting for him at Lotus Renault GP this year, Crash.net has learned – and the answer may surprise.

Kubica is currently recovering in hospital in Italy following his high-speed rallying accident on the Ronde di Andora nine days ago that left him with a broken arm, broken leg and – most worryingly of all – a partially-severed hand.

Whilst there have been varying reports as to the Pole's condition as he continues to undergo surger, a source close to Crash.net has informed us that Kubica has been visited in hospital by a key member of Lotus Renault GP and asked who he would rather drive his car this season.

Although former BMW-Sauber team-mate Nick Heidfeld is seen as the hot favourite to occupy the cockpit – particularly in the light of the experienced German's outstanding testing debut for the team at Jerez on Saturday, our source claims that Kubica has said he would prefer to be replaced by Force India F1 refugee Vitantonio Liuzzi, whom he considers to be a better racer out of the pair. The 26-year-old is friends with both.

An announcement confirming Heidfeld had been expected from Lotus Renault GP yesterday (Monday), but no news was forthcoming – raising speculation that the Enstone-based concern may yet be set to try out Liuzzi and possibly also Pedro de la Rosa during testing in Barcelona later this week before coming to a final decision about who will partner Vitaly Petrov in F1 2011.

Source: Crash.net

Kubica: I will return to Formula One

Injured Lotus Renault driver Robert Kubica plans to return to racing before the end of the year

The Pole is responding well to treatment in a hospital in Italy after suffering multiple fractures to his arm and leg and a partially severed right hand following a crash in Sunday's Ronde di Andora rally.

Kubica, who will undergo further surgery on Friday, is expected to miss the whole of the 2011 season but he told Gazzetta dello Sport: "I want to return this year.

"I am really determined to reduce the recovery time with a very defined programme."

Kubica had seven hours of surgery after he was airlifted to a hospital in Savona following the crash where doctors worked to reattach his right hand.

"The fingers work and so does the arm, I can feel them," he said.

"But I still have to undergo another operation and then I will know.

"I cannot move much right now. But I don't have much pain because I'm sedated.

"On Saturday I will be able to know what my condition is after I undergo the double surgery (arm and foot).

"Then there will be the countdown to begin preparation. I only have that in mind.

"I want to return stronger than before."

The 26-year-old has had serious accidents in the past, requiring surgery to his left arm after being a passenger in a road accident in 2003, and then missing the 2007 United States Grand Prix after a serious crash in Canada.

"After this accident, you are no longer the same, you are better," he said.

"I had already gone through that in 2007 after the crash in Canada.

"I was out for one race and when I came back I was better. A driver is not just about accelerating and steering.

"There is a difference between those that drive at 85 per cent and those that drive at 95 per cent. The 15 per cent remaining is the capacity and motivation that comes out of you.

"Since 2007, I'm a stronger driver and I'm stronger mentally. It will be the same this time when I recover physically."

Kubica said he was still trying to piece together the sequence of events that led to his accident.

Kubica's car left the road and collided with the wall of a church, with a guard-rail penetrating the front of his Skoda Fabia and causing his injuries.

"I really don't know what happened because I don't remember anything of the accident," he said. "I just found myself in hospital and my agent Daniele Morelli has explained everything to me.

"I am saddened with what has happened. It should not have happened.

"I am sorry for my mother because I have made her worry and suffer.

"One does this job but never thinks of the consequences. I just know that I did the rally and now I am in this bed."

But Kubica has no regrets about taking part in the rally, although Lotus Renault have come in for criticism for allowing him to take part.

"Rallies are my passion," he said.

"They are a hard training, severe for Formula One.

"I drive better in Formula One because I have taken part in many rallies.

"The rallies help you in concentration, considering that in Formula One there are very few tests.

"Rallies have allowed me to work on certain areas that I can improve on. It is important in a season where you have 20 grands prix."

Asked if he would take part in future rallies once he recovers, Kubica said: "I don't know, we will see at the time."

Source: Planet-F1

Räikkönen not ruling out F1 return

Kimi Räikkönen has refused to rule out replacing the injured Robert Kubica at Renault.

Having launched his own world rally entry Ice1 for 2011, the 2007 world champion is already in Sweden for the season opener.

Moreover, after negotiations with Renault broke down spectacularly mid last season, Renault team boss Eric Boullier dismissed the latest rumours about Räikkönen as "pure speculation".

"We spoke to Kimi last year," he told Auto Motor und Sport. "He told us that he would rather stay in rallying. So he was no longer considered after that."

Nick Heidfeld is trying out for the seat at the Jerez test this week, with Boullier naming Pedro de la Rosa and Vitantonio Liuzzi as the secondary candidates.

But when asked if he is set to shock the F1 world with a return to F1 in the short-term, 31-year-old Räikkönen was quoted by Finnish broadcaster MTV3: "That’s hard to say."

Source: NextgenAuto

Räikkönen can replace Kubica?

Examining the possible candidates for the injured Robert Kubica, Kimi Räikkönen, many are called, as the only rider who could immediately provide good results.

Among the five reserve pilots Lotus Renault - Bruno Senna, Roman Grosjean, Fairuza Fawzi, Ho-Pin Tung and Yang Harouza no rider capable of consistently earning points from the first Grand Prix. Everything depends on the task team - if the Lotus Renault firmly focused on progress and high position in the Constructors' Championship, the end justifies the means - to do everything possible to get a better racer.

As such, called Nick Heidfeld, Pedro de la Rosa and Nico Hulkenberg, but many believe that Kimi Räikkönen - the best option.

In the coming days the team will have to decide to not miss the opportunity to familiarize pilots with the car in winter testing.

Source: F1news.ru

KUBICA REHAB COULD BE SIX MONTHS OR MORE

Hand reconstruction specialists in Italy are working hard to save the functionality of Robert Kubica’s right hand tonight after a high speed accident in a rally car this morning.

There were reports initially that the Pole risked losing the hand, but that risk has now passed. However it seems that the rehabilitation from a crush injury such as this can be six months or more, which means that the Renault driver may miss the bulk of the season.

Tonight I called a friend in London, Richard Young, who is a plastic surgeon specialising in hand reconstruction at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, for some insight into hand crush injury, of which he has extensive experience.

I wanted to know what the risks are in a situation such as this and likely recovery times. The caveat for all of what follows is that we do not know the precise details and therefore this is not a specific prognosis on Kubica, more some general medical principles for background understanding.

Apparently when they say a hand is at risk of amputation it is because the blood supply, via blood vessels, to the hand has been severed. That is the first thing to restore and that has clearly been done. So now it’s a question of whether the doctors can restore full functionality, to the level which an F1 driver needs. This means repairing the nerves and tendons and their work will determine whether Kubica will race again. How long the recuperation will take depends on how severe the injury was in the first place.

The first point is that the energy in the accident was clearly very great if it also caused long bone injury such as the broken leg and arm which Kubica suffered. Kubica’s hand appears to have been crushed by some armco entering the cockpit. So the extent of the hand crush injury is likely to be severe.

The hand has many small muscles, tendons and nerves which if crushed are likely to reduce the ability to roll the fingers in and to make fine movements, such as picking up a pin or in the case of an F1 driver, operate the buttons and dials on the steering wheel. Damage to the nerves will impair feeling and this can take at least three months to return.

As for rehabilitation it is long – maybe six months or more depending on the severity of the crush – and crucially there is no short cut. Sometimes when athletes break a bone they can speed up the repair by sitting in a chamber to boost oxygen or blood flow, but that will not apply in this case.

Here we are dealing with tendons and these must be protected for up to three months before any effort can be put through them, otherwise the tendons rupture again. Also if there is severe damage to nerves in the forearm the ability to make fine movements can be lost.

As I said, we haven’t heard from the medical people yet, but these are some of the thoughts and insights of an experienced and active hand reconstruction surgeon.

Source: James Allen on F1

Kimi: What went wrong?

Kimi Räikkönen. The Iceman. Despite not turning a wheel in a Formula One car since the season closing race in Abu Dhabi 2009, he has – repeatedly – been the centre of attention during the silly season. “Will he”, “won’t he”, “please come back!” “Please stay away”. The opinions are varied and the facts are often false but 9 seasons of Formula One delivered just one title, won by a single point. ‘Just’ is the wrong word perhaps, as to become world champion is an incredible achievement. So why is a man with so much skill at his disposal sitting about in the WRC, having one just one short tarmac stage and crashed more times than we can remember? It’s an extraordinary turn of events, but a lot of it wasn’t down to Kimi himself, rather a large bank from the coast of Northern Spain…

So just when did it start to go wrong for Kimi? Well, it never really went right during the McLaren years where his blinding speed was limited by the woeful reliability of the cars, most notably the 2005 car – the MP4/20 – that won 10 of the 19 races but broke down so often that Räikkönen finished a distant 2nd in the championship despite superior speed. It was then that the contract with Ferrari was signed and 2006 was just a wasted, winless and luckless season. But bring on 2007 and all would be okay, right? After all, he was joining the team that had dominated the first half of the decade. But crucially, McLaren improved and Ferrari seemed to take a step back. The F2007 was superior on the faster circuits such as Spa but couldn’t get anywhere near McLaren at the tight circuits, such as Monaco. Mistakes and mechanical failures meant that Kimi – despite winning 6 races – appeared to luck into the title thanks to the implosion at McLaren. Granted, he won more races than anyone else but would he really have won the title had McLaren not hit the self destruct button? You can’t deny that he is a deserving world champion, but 2008 seemed to unravel all the good work he had done in 2007.

Ferrari’s 2008 challenger just didn’t suit Kimi at all. He won two of the first four races but after that things just fell apart. A crash in Monaco, taken out in Canada, a mechanical issue in France and Ferrari’s awful wet weather ability in Britain cost him vital points, but the key issue was in qualifying. Kimi couldn’t get the tyres to work and quite often found himself on the third or fourth row of the grid, resigning him to a race stuck battling to get to the podium. By the time Ferrari fixed his issues it was too late and the race at Spa almost epitomised his season – the king being dethroned. He only finished 23 points behind Lewis Hamilton after 18 races, but it wasn’t enough and he had clearly not lived up to his pre-season billing of being the overwhelming favourite. A poignant and suggestive moment was on the podium in Brazil when Räikkönen in 3rd was behind Alonso – driving for Renault – in 2nd. Massa was very affectionate towards Alonso on the podium whilst Räikkönen was almost given the cold shoulder. At the end of 2008, Ferrari effectively had 3 drivers but one was representing Renault. A poor start to 2009 (and being outscored by Massa 22 points to 10 pre-Hungary) left him in a less than safe position within the team as two was company, but three would be a crowd…

As is so often the case in Formula One, contracts were there to be broken and money talked. Rumours of Räikkönen quitting at the end of 2009 were quashed in Monza in 2008 when Ferrari announced that the Finn would stay with them until at least the end of the 2010 season. Well, they were meant to quash the rumours but they didn’t and the deal ended up costing Ferrari a sizeable about of money.

Santander started sponsoring McLaren in 2007 and it was perfect – Lewis Hamilton would represent the brand in the UK (a key target at the time for the Spanish bank), whilst Fernando Alonso would be the face of Santander in Spain. But when the team imploded in 2007, Fernando left and Santander were left with a deal that saw their brand on the McLaren’s until the end of 2010, now extended for another year. Alonso wanted to go to Ferrari and Santander was eager to put him there. An initial contract was signed that meant that Alonso would drive for the Scuderia from 2011, but that wasn’t enough for Santander. When Ferrari announced that the bank would sponsor them from 2010, the writing was on the wall even if Alonso wasn’t confirmed until the Japanese Grand Prix in October. Kimi had chances with McLaren but the plans fell through. There were rumours about Mercedes but they came to nothing. But were Ferrari right to get rid of Räikkönen for Alonso or should Massa have made way for the Spaniard? Hindsight is a wonderful thing…

The bare facts don’t lie but they go nowhere to revealing the truth – in 2008 Massa beat Räikkönen across 18 races and in 2010 Alonso has done the same to Massa. Ergo, Alonso is better than Raikkonen, closed book, end of story, right? Wrong. Massa in 2010 is suffering from the same issues that niggled with Räikkönen in 2008. Would Kimi have performed better than Alonso this year? You can only speculate but it’s hard to imagine Räikkönen throwing it off the road at Spa, jumping the start in China and making such a mess of a few of the other races. There’s no doubt that Kimi would be performing better than Massa, but again, hindsight is brilliant, so why did Ferrari force their 2007 champion out in favour of the Brazilian?

A large factor was Massa’s accident in Hungary. Ferrari assured him that he would have a place at the team when he returned so naturally that left Kimi as the outsider. To many it seemed logical – Massa had been ‘best of the rest’ in the first 9 races of 2009 whilst Kimi appeared to be on a downward spiral after the highs of 2007. But then Kimi came alive, took two consecutive podiums before winning at Spa and – with a car that was hopeless (as shown by Fisichella and Badoer) – he finished 6th in the championship, just one point behind Lewis Hamilton. Yet Kimi was out of a drive and apparently lacking in motivation. F1 can be very cruel sometimes but – as stated before –money played a big part.

With Kimi having signed a contract for 2010, Ferrari now had to break that contract but still had to pay his salary – an estimated $17m. Felipe Massa would have been on a relatively low retainer in comparison whilst Santander (rather helpfully) paid Alonso’s salary of around $20m – $25m. There is also the thinking that Räikkönen never really fitted in at Ferrari; the team was built around Schumacher and they expected Räikkönen to be like Schumacher and live and breathe Ferrari. That was never going to happen and there are those who believe that his self inflicted isolation from the team played a large part to their separation. Kimi’s ice-cool nature hugely contrasted the Ferrari ideal of being a big family, something that Massa – being Brazilian and therefore similar in personality to the Scuderia – conformed to.

So Kimi was out of the way, Fernando & Felipe in the team for 2010 and the Finn now had an empty calendar and a rather healthy pay cheque for doing nothing. But the latter wasn’t an option for Räikkönen and his apparent lack of motivation in Formula One coincided with growing aspirations in World Rally. He dabbled in the sport by driving a Fiat Punto in Rally Finland in 2009, rolling out of the even when running well (at the time something put down to his inexperience, but he would encounter the same issues in 2010!) Once F1 was out of the frame, he quickly signed a deal that would put him at Citroen Junior Team alongside Sebastien Ogier with hefty sponsorship from Red Bull.

Yet despite distancing himself from Formula One the rumours continued. With Red Bull sponsoring his World Rally adventure, so the stories came and went, linking him to Red Bull Racing. A one year extension for Webber meant there would be no room left at the inn but still the stories persisted whilst Renault said they were in contact with Kimi. An angry press release indicated that Renault had blown their contact out of proportion and that Räikkönen was really unhappy at the way the French squad had used him for their own benefit. Or was it the other way around?

Well, Petrov’s future was hanging in the balance and Renault undoubtedly used the opportunity to get more money from Russian sponsors. Now they have Lotus onboard but only as sponsors. Not only that, but Lotus has entered a vast array of motorsport divisions, and there are wonderings of whether they can sustain the huge financial input needed – F1, GP2, IRL, Sportscars amongst others. Kimi stays in the WRC with a shiny new Citroen DS3 and it’s hoped he’ll stop falling off the road.

Will he come back to Formula One? Possibly, but it’s difficult to see where and with age no longer on his side, when…

Source: F1Zone

Photos: Lotus Renault GP R31 launch 2011

Lotus Renault GP R31 launch Today!

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Kubica chasing race wins

Having finished on the podium three times during his maiden season with Renault, Robert Kubica is confident he will secure his first race win with the team this year

The Pole has one race victory to his name, having triumphed at the Canadian Grand Prix in 2008 while driving for the BMW-Sauber outfit and he's now looking to add another one to his resume with the Enstone-based team.

After a tumultuous time behind the scenes at the end of 2009, Renault impressed many with their strong showing in 2010 which saw Kubica finish eighth on the Drivers' standings.

The 26-year-old is now looking to press on from the foundations laid last year, and believes that the team are well placed to do so.

"I am confident that 2011 will be a good season because during this winter the team were able to work with a more stable financial and management situation, compared to one year ago," Kubica told the official Formula One website.

"[Team principal] Eric Boullier said that he wants our car to win races this year - he expressed exactly what I feel!"

Kubica's assertion that the team is in a stable position may seem strange considering their ongoing legal wrangle with Tony Ferndanes' Team Lotus outfit, but Kubica insists that this does not affect the inner workings of the team.

"Well, I didn't drive for Renault in 2009 and all the changes happened during the winter, before I really started to work with my new team," he explained.

"There was an important reshuffle of shareholders, but the core of the team remained almost unchanged. This is what I have been told is happening again now."

Former Renault Director of Engineering, Pat Symonds, agrees that the team are looking impressive heading into the new season.

"I think we'll see the same old protagonists fighting it out at the front, but Renault are in a good position," Symonds told crash.net.

"I have my biases having worked there for a long while, but they're a great group of guys and they took a very bold step last year in updating their wind tunnel over the winter. That's not something where you just wake up one morning and say 'I'm going to do it' - you have to plan it a long way in advance, and of course they put in a huge CFD facility prior to that so under the resource restrictions they could switch their work from the wind tunnel to CFD while the wind tunnel was being improved.

"I know that the wind tunnel is a huge improvement, and I think that was shown in the progress they made through the year - but with Mercedes, I'm not so sure. It's a very downsized team from the team that made the Brawn. I think the jury is still out, but I would probably favour Renault going in front of Mercedes," he added.

Source: Planet-F1

How Boullier shook off ’ghost’ of Briatore

Eric Boullier has admitted that one of his tasks last year was to shake off the "ghost" of Flavio Briatore.

With Renault F1 in tatters after the crashgate affair, Frenchman Boullier was appointed boss by new owners Genii and he has retained the post after the arrival of Group Lotus.

Recalling his arrival a year ago, he said: "I had the ghost of my predecessor in mind. I took away everything that had to do with him (Briatore)," Boullier is quoted by France’s Autohebdo.

"I changed my office, the style of management. The only way was to erase everything or make it different, but not myself. I had nothing to lose," he added.

Today, Boullier said he is happy to still be heading the Enstone based team and told L’Equipe that he hopes the black and gold Lotus Renault GP car wins races.

"I want people to see this team as a great one like Ferrari or McLaren," he said.

"Now I feel like I belong and it’s much easier," added Boullier, looking back on his arrival in January 2010.

"I’m happy to be intact after the first year. To earn respect for the team is no small victory and it was my main challenge.

"If it had not worked, I’d have gone back to what I can do but it’s been a year and I’m still here!"
Source: Motorsport

Petrov confirms move to UK

Vitaly Petrov on Thursday confirmed he is relocating from Spain to England.

Before the Russian secured a new contract with Renault for 2011, team owner Gerard Lopez insisted the 26-year-old needed to "move to the UK" to be "close to the factory" and in an "English speaking environment".

At the Autosport International show in Birmingham, Petrov confirmed he has moved.

"First of all I’m now closer to the factory, and if I need to I can go any time," Petrov, whose new residence is reportedly near Renault’s Enstone headquarters in Oxfordshire, is quoted by the Press Association.

Petrov, who previously lived in Valencia, admitted he was worried recently that he would not be retained by Renault after his rookie season.

"I was a little bit nervous. It was my rookie year and I knew I had made mistakes, but I also had some good races, so it was 50-50," he said.

Source: Nextgen

No Renault rift as Kubica sits out Rally

Robert Kubica is not sitting out next week’s Monte Carlo rally due to contractual restrictions or a rift with Renault, it has been clarified.

It was reported this week that the Pole will miss the famous event because his full-time F1 employer did not give him permission to drive a car other than a Renault.

But Finland’s Turun Sanomat clarified that when it emerged that a four-wheel drive Renault would not be available for Kubica, he simply decided against contesting the rally.

The report said the 26-year-old did not enquire about finding another car to drive, adding that there is "no dispute" between Kubica and Renault.

Source: NextgenAuto

Renault confirms January 31 launch for R31

Renault on Thursday confirmed reports that its 2011 car will be launched on the eve of the forthcoming pre-season group test at Valencia.

Most teams are planning to reveal their new cars shortly before the major session beginning on 1 February at Cheste, on the outskirts of the Spanish port city.

"The Lotus Renault GP R31 will be officially unveiled on 31 January in Valencia. More info to follow," Renault confirmed on Thursday.

On the same day – a Monday – Sauber has booked the same Ricardo Tormo circuit to present its 2011 car the C30, including some maiden demonstration laps.

Source: Motorsport