Oliver WhiteBy now, most Formula One fans will be well aware that Polish driver Robert Kubica had an almighty accident during yesterdays Canadian Grand Prix, which resulted in medics attending the scene of the crash to help Kubica out of his BMW. The young driver was rushed to the medical centre, and then air lifted to the nearest hospital for checks and x-rays. Initially, it was thought that Kubica was well and even spoke a few words to his manager. But a radio message given to Lewis Hamilton as he crossed the line to take his maiden win suggested Robert had sustained a broken leg. Those reports have now been quashed, with the injury now reported as a sprained ankle.
Kubica suffered concussion as well, but doctors say that he may be released later today. BMW have said that they will not make a decision regarding the US Grand Prix next weekend until Thursday. Obviously, they would like to run Robert in the second car, and undoubtedly, Robert would also like to drive. But concussion can be serious, particularly if the Pole suffers another shunt at Indianapolis. The German team could run either Timo Glock or Sebastian Vettel in replacement for Kubica, but the team will wait until the last moment to decide in case Robert is given the all clear to race.
Yay Robert! I would have been surprised if he had broken any limbs with the tub intact. I was initially worried about his neck with the way his head was smacking about, but knew that was OK when he was moving his hands.
This must rank as one of the most miraculous escapes from a crash – Richard Hammond’s recovery from a rather more high speed effort also springs to mind although he was seriously ill in hospital for quite a long time before he recovered fully.
After Ralf’s crashes at Indy a few years ago, surely the sensible thing would be for Robert to sit this one out, but I’m sure BMW will listen to the doctors before a decision is made, which is the right thing to do in the circumstances of course.
I’m still amazed how lightly he got away with it – at the time I was thinking he might break or even maybe lose a leg or two at the very least, given the way he impacted with the wall initially. The seriousness of the accident was only added to as he rolled off down the road and into another wall whilst still travelling at a fair old pace.
Totally amazing that he is relatively okay!
I am delighted to hear about Robert Kubica being nowhere near as badly injured as I initially thought. If it were me, I’d keep him out of the car at Indy in case a crash aggravated the concussion, but I would have no doubts whatsoever about putting Robert in races after that. What a good thing he’s racing in 2007, though…
[…] Robert couldn’t remove himself from his car and medical assistance was quick on the scene. A sprained ankle and sore neck was all Kubica suffered though, and after missing just one race the resiliant driver was back at […]
[…] Robert couldn’t remove himself from his car and medical assistance was quick on the scene. A sprained ankle and sore neck was all Kubica suffered though, and after missing just one race the resiliant driver was back at […]