Kubica able to move fingers on injured hand

2011 F1 season

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Robert Kubica, Renault, Valencia, 2011

Renault have given encouraging signs about Robert Kubica’s progress following his rally crash yesterday.

A statement issued by the team confirmed he has been able to move the fingers in his damaged hand following yesterday’s surgery.

The team said: “Robert’s general condition is much better today.

“After spending the night under constant observation, he was briefly woken up by the doctors of the Santa Corona Hospital (Pietra Ligure) this morning. The Lotus Renault GP driver was then able to talk to his relatives. He was also able to move his fingers, which is encouraging for the rest of his recovery process.

“Professor Mario Igor Rossello, Director for the Regional Centre of Hand Surgery at San Paolo Hospital in Savona, did not notice any swelling or infection on his right forearm, and this is another good sign, although it will be several days before it is known if the operation has been 100% successful.

“In order to avoid any physical stress, Robert will be put under gentle medication in order to sleep for the next 24 hours at least. Meanwhile, the doctors will decide how they will treat his elbow and shoulder fractures. Robert may have to undergo surgery once again for this, but not for a few days.

“Lotus Renault GP wishes to thank the Hospital of San Paolo (Savona) and the Santa Corona Hospital (Pietra Ligure) for their professional approach and their dedication.”

Robert Kubica rally crash

    Image © Julien Leroy / firstlap.be

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    Keith Collantine
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    73 comments on “Kubica able to move fingers on injured hand”

    1. Thats good news, hope he recovers fully as soon as possible..

    2. Joakim Järvinen
      7th February 2011, 15:03

      Encouraging information indeed! Makes me alot less sad and give me for sure more hope!

      All the best Kubica, get well soon.

      -JJ from Helsinki

    3. well I think this must be taken positively. From what I read yesterday with regards to the nerve endings, they weren’t expecting him to be able to move his hand for more than a week or so.

      Then again, we also don’t know what classifies as movement – is it a twitch from a reflex or something more? And is that movement the same movement that the doctor referred to yesterday?

      All this medical stuff is confusing, but lets just hope he gets better soon!

      1. I suppose it is hard to say with the nerves, sometimes it takes a while before they connect again. Now he just needs to avoid having any complications.

        I gather that the other fractures will be worked on after the doctors get some stability in the most critical part (his hand). So he will probably be in for some surgery in the coming days.

        1. I wonder if it will make any difference that he had incredibly quick reflexes and nerves in the first place. I remember towards the end of last season when a number of journalists underwent F1 training in Abu Dhabi including James Allen and Will Buxton, one of them wrote about the doctor who tests for the reflex aptitude of drivers (to see whether or not they have the natural ability required to be an F1 driver, never mind the physical training or learned car handling), and he said that Kubica held the all time record on his testing software with a near perfect score.

      2. Well its all good if you if you ignore the induced coma he’s was brought out of and then put back into. I think he will recover fully but talk of 2 months out is just crazy.

        How are you going to throw him into a car which will be markedly different to the car he last tested, with no testing, in the middle of a F1 season? Take your time RK and come back next season 100%.

        This quote struck a chord as a blood donor
        “Kubica lost a lot of blood, that is why the first hour was critical. He was unconscious and could not be operated on when he arrived at the hospital. He needed many transfusions during the stabilising process as well as during the very long surgery.”

        So if you are glad he’s gonna get better get yourself to the blood donor office.

        NO EXCUSES

        1. So if you are glad he’s gonna get better get yourself to the blood donor office.

          Good point Sparky
          Plasma is needed too, but it sure takes longer to donate.

          1. Get on the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register and sign up as an organ donar while you’re at it…

            1. But you can only donate an organ once – you can give blood 4 times a year PLUS they give you food and you get to talk to nice nurses

        2. COTD from sparkyJ23 if you ask me

          go donate!!

        3. Hear hear.

          If you can, DO.

          You never know when it’ll be you in the meatwagon.

        4. not sure if you replied to the right person Sparky, I didn’t mention 2 months at all. I merely said that the news is positive – which it is.

          There is no doubting the severity of the injury and that he will almost certainly be out for the majority of the season.

          1. The reply wasn’t directed at you – his manager talked about 2 months. If he can button a shirt in 2 months i’ll be impressed.

        5. As someone who has already donated blood and always carry around a document which states my wish to donate my organs in case of my death I can only give you a high five, Sparky.

      3. “All this medical stuff is confusing, but lets just hope he gets better soon!” That’s mostly cause the language is being incredibly watered down for news media/public consumption. Public medical releases (at least in the US) have to pass a test that allows for gradeschool level reading comprehension so that 95+% of the population can understand it. To get clear, honest answers, most people will usually need a couple years of anatomy/medical terminology/surgical terminology to fully understand the language.

    4. This is great news, let’s hope Kubica will be up and going for speedy recovery. Keeping my fingers crossed to see him driving again.

      1. We all are.

    5. encouraging news ! GWS Robert !

    6. I believe Robert will overcome this eventually, he’s done it before, he’s got an edge…

      his first words are prof of what kind of person he is: asking about his co driver before anything…a leader, and Renault still need him even if he’s not siting behind the wheel.

    7. Encouraging news, although I fear that his racing career may now be over. I keep reading more and more details about the crash as they’re uncovered (from reputible sites that generally have their facts right), and am getting more and more convinced that this is it.

      David Coulthard has given a perspective on the strains and stresses that the hands and lower arms go through when guiding a car around a track. The tone of the article would suggest that DC is fairly sure that Kubica probably wont race in F1 again.

      I really hope I’m wrong on this one, and all the best to Robert.

      1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9389739.stm

        I read that just now. To me that does not seem to be as negative on Kubicas prospects as you suggested. But it is a very insightfull read.

        1. Thanks for the link. It sounded more positive than negative to me, actually.

      2. I hope you are wrong on this one as well. Its an uphill battle for Robert, but then again, you couldn’t pick a fiercer warrior.

    8. I feel much better about this now. I heard that the first thing he asked when he awoke was about the condition of his co-driver. Very touching!

      Wouldn’t be surprised if he was fit to return mid-season – but I hope he doesn’t rush himself – if he misses the first 6 races or so – he won’t be able to win the WDC anyway – so may as well take the time to recover.

      A shame – I was actually going to put a little flutter on him this year.

      All the best!

      1. I would be VERY surprised if he makes a come back at any point this season.

        He’ll be much better off taking the whole year off – making sure that he gives his hand and arm the best chance possible to recover and when he’s ready getting in the simulator to rack up the hours and only once he is 100% back to fitness should he get behind the wheel of an F1 car again.

        This is about as serious an injury as you can have to your hand without actually losing it. It’s very unlikely that someone who suffers this kind of injury will get back the strength and dexterity they had previously – that said, if anyone can recover from this it is an F1 driver as they all have the kind of mental discipline to do whatever it takes.

    9. Fantastic news! I don’t think anyone thought he would be able to move his fingbers so quickly! Maybe he will be able rio quickly recover and be back strong next season! That’s superb news

    10. Go Robert go!

    11. Really good news, too early to say about his F1 chances but at least the hand looks like it’s going to be good for everyday stuff.

    12. Honduran in Spain
      7th February 2011, 15:22

      Wow, these are some great news!!!! I HOPE he makes a complete and successful recovery soon!
      He is one of the most promising drivers out there and he has his WDC coming to him, i just know it!!

      I feel so much better after reading this. When i saw it in the news yesterday, i was sick to my stomach and pretty down but I’m definitely feeling a whole lot better now.

      Get well soon Robert, you have unfinished business in F1!! ;)

    13. Get well soon Robert ;)

    14. If doctors said that his recovery will take a year it means that in about 3 months Boullier will have to put an electrified fence between Robert and his car ;)

    15. The hospital’s director of orthopaedics Dr Francesco Lanza is quoted on autosport as saying

      “For the fractures suffered on his leg, he will need at least three or four months to allow the bone to set back together.”
      Full article

      1. Thanks for the link, Chris.

        This Boullier is really p…ing me off, actually, making predictions that Robert’s going to recover in less than a year. It’s unwanted pressure and he has no idea what will happen, only what he wants to happen.

        Thank goodness Robert is alive and still has his hand, that’s all I can say.

        1. Shimks, this is not having a go at you, but lets not read something into his comments.

          I am not the biggest fan of Boullier, but I very much doubt he has anything other than the best interests of Robert at hand here.

          He is probably trying to come across as being positive. Just as everyone else is being positive.

          We all share the view that RKs health is important, but I think it is misjudging if you believe Mr Boullier is just thinking about the team on this one.

      2. Well said Chris.I wondered when somone would notice that.
        Boullier seems to have ignored that bit comepletely

    16. Great news indeed. From what I read before, it seemed that even getting movement in his hand was in jeopardy, so being able to move the fingers the next day following the operation is just great!

      Hope to see Robert back behind a steering wheel soon!

    17. Iam F1fans FoReVer
      7th February 2011, 16:02

      Get well soon Robert.
      Wish you the best.

    18. This is really good news. I probably should be more cynical and I know he has a long way to go but I really find it hard to believe that he won’t be back in F1. He’s recovered well in the past and his a very determined driver so hopefully he’ll give us a great comeback story :)

    19. This is truly fantastic news!

      I’m so glad we live in a time when this kind of Medical Surgery is achievable, only 15, 20 years ago I believe this would have resulted in the lost of an arm, possibly death.

      I wish Robert the best of luck on a full recovery. I hope one day soon we see him back in a F1 car, and more importantly at his best.

      1. Absolutely. Huge praise to the doctors and surgeons who by the sounds of it saved Robert’s life.

        Great to hear such positive news. But shocking to hear more about the crash and Robert’s injuries. Compound fractures to the elbow and shoulder along with the partial severing of his arm and huge blood loss. Very scary stuff. Despite that, he’s a lucky man.

    20. Thats a lot of good news today. Robert was conscious of what had happened and asked for Gerber’s condition (thankfully he is OK). Now we hear that he is already moving his fingers. This should mean that his fingers are not broken and shattered, but rather he sustained clean cuts. The nerves seem to be working extremely well since they were reattached under 24hrs ago… I truly believe Robert will get himself back together and continue on a successful career. All the best!

    21. Some good news regarding a very unfortunate situation. All the best to him during this recovery period. I hope he takes all the time necessary, no need to rush back into the car since his title hopes will be gone after the first 4 races.

      Its really unfortunate too because this renault looks promising.

      1. Scary, hope the FIA looks at this & impro0ve the safety of the car so that things like this could be avoided in the future.

        ” Kubica’s first words were to ask about the condition of his co-driver, Jakub Gerber, who was uninjured in the crash.” that is a good sign with the fact that Flavio Briatore have meet him & said that he is recovering.

        Hope things turn for the good.

        1. Rallying is inherently dangerous. Certainly more so that circuit racing.

          You could fix the barrier situation on some stages, but you could not remove all of the trees, rocks, cliffs they drive by.

          Circuit racing has improved so much in safety terms by barriers, marshalling, run off zones.

          Realistically it would be nigh on impossible to achieve anywhere like that on a rally stage.

          Thankfully large accidents like this are few and far between. The rally fraternity I’m sure does all that it can to make things safe.

          And long may these big crashes continue to be relatively rare.

    22. Eric Boullier scares me when he says that Kubica’s recovery will not take a year.

      It’s far too early to make that kind of prediction – regardless of your responsibilities in the eyes of sponsors.

      Best thing he can do for now is make sure that whoever stands in for Robert gets plenty of testing time to get up to speed and understands that they’re only keeping his seat warm until he comes back.

      Because Renault allowed their driver to indulge his passion for rallying – and I still say good on them even given the events of yesterday – but they should be willing to stand by that driver if things go wrong.

      1. Didn’t Boullier think that Kubica could be back in 2 months? That’s ridiculous considering the doctors have said that it’ll be at least 3 or 4 months just for the leg fractures to heal!

        It’s good that he’s being positive but I really hope he doesn’t try to rush Kubica back into the car before he’s ready.

        1. I don’t think he’ll try to push Kubica back into a car too soon because that would do far more harm but doctors tend to look at the worst case scenario and historically F1 drivers tend to heal pretty quickly so I wouldn’t be shocked if he turned out to be right.

          1. True, I wouldn’t be surprised if his bones healed quicker than normal. But the nerves and tendons will surely need to be treated with care and it’s better to be safe than sorry.

          2. Yes but if you watch the interview with the surgeon he is very specific in saying that 1 year would be the best case scenario when the journo’s are pushing him to say that it will be quicker. And that’s “just” the hand.

            Fractures to the shoulder will need to be fully healed as being pressed into the side of the cockpit at several G around high speed corners could be extremely painful otherwise, not to mention the potential for further injuries if he rushes back too soon.

            1. I’m sure they’ll test him in older equipment though, much as Schumacher did in the ’08 Ferrari when considering standing in for Massa. And like Schumacher he’ll know if it’s too painful and too soon.

    23. I really hope he does make a full recovery.

      I must say I share the concern on whether the movement recovered will constitute enough movement to operate paddles and handle the rigours of F1.

      I am sure that if he recovers to the extent of regaining the strength in his arm/muscles, they would be able to customise the setup of the steering wheel to help him.

      I certainly hope so for him and his future. Top guy.

    24. this is from an italian site
      Briatore visited him and he is saying good news.

      Flavio Briatore has visited Robert Kubica in the hospital in Pietra Ligure after the long operation conducted Sunday following the terrible accident in a rally race. The former manager of the Renault team appeared relieved at the exit of the hospital, when he was stopped by the microphones of Sky: “I found it very well, first I was very worried, reading medical journals seemed to be a very serious thing. But is good , we joked, we will see him in the car pretty soon. I am very happy – he continued – for me it looks like he is going to return before the end of the season, is the only thing he wants, has an incredible motivation, these kids also have a physical exception, they are the champions, are made of iron. Is very conscient and I’m sure he is going to be as good as before. Alonso? I called on Sunday we were terrified, now I’m really optimistic for him for the family and for the fans.
      It was wrong to participate in the rally? it’s useless to debate now, I hope is going to be the driver who he is and I’m sure he is going to make it. The only doubt is his right hand, but it seems to me that there is a lot of optimism on this front,” he continues

    25. Best wishes comrade, soon you will be back at the top where you belong – even more at the top than up to now!

    26. This article is such a relief. Get well very soon Roby. We are waiting for you on the track asap!

      1. Sorry. I forgot to apologize for all the speculation made by the italian newspapes on this unlucky event.

        1. newspapers

    27. It’s a terrible shame if this crash stops him having a go at the title in his career. I hope he recovers and can compete at the top of F1. For him to not reach his potential would be a sin.

    28. Good news, finally something positive but I also read that his elbow and shoulder aren’t OK. So his rightside body (shoulder, elbow, arm, hand, upper leg) seems to have serious damage.

      Which is understandable seen the barrier pierced into the car from front to end. Also alots of blood lost, this little positive ‘finger moving’ is perhaps not all that matters for his racing career.

      1. this one is from Scriva-Micheletti’s car:
        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79UsFc1exuM&feature=player_emb%ADedded#
        (switch to 3:25)

    29. You have to say.. those Doctors have done an incredible job. Silent hero’s most of the time.

      Takes a genuinely good soul to be interested in helping people to that extent. Makes you wonder if you could help people more.

      1. Makes you wonder if you could help people more.

        Get out there and become a Community First Responder or volunteer for St John Ambulance or similar organisations. I do and it’s fantastic (not to mention we cover the GP at Silverstone – though I don’t think I’ll be on duty there this year), we always need more people to join up.

    30. Today Kubica moves fingers. Tomorrow he will win championship. You will see! Impossible is nothing!

    31. Really positive signs these. It was looking grim yesterday but now there is more and more good news.

      Kubica has amazing mental strength and terrific stamina, I’m sure he will be back.

    32. Hey people i went through some official sites of teams and drivers, and support for Kubica came only from official ferrari, alonso and massa site! damn thats sad for f1 community!

      1. There was a lot of support from drivers and teams on twitter, check out JA’s twitter feeds.

    33. Brilliant news :D

    34. BLOODY HELL!!!

      http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0erhdhB1xS0bO/610x.jpg

      Just imagine if that happened ten centemetres more to the left…

    35. Puchatek-Poland
      8th February 2011, 7:39

      http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0erhdhB1xS0bO/610x.jpg

      That was really, really close !! My god, blase you that he survive !! Forza Robert, we will wait for you !!

    36. Get well soon Robert!!

      1. I don’t know why, but the link I pased in was via google translate and now it’s just the original. Anyway, good news.

        They also seem to have a simulation of howit happened, looks like he had the worst of luck.
        http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://www.tvn24.pl/-1,1692023,0,1,zobacz-jak-sie-rozbil-kubica,wiadomosc.html&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&twu=1&usg=ALkJrhho-5-XvWPLKY-N_HX2LYd9Zm9NJw

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