The F1 Thread 2011 Season

No idea why they can't do things like Karting or saloon car racing. They may be adrenalin junkies but they're F1 drivers not rally drivers. Say goodbye to any of them ever doing it again. Not one will get clearance from their team let alone insurance.
 
R_Nick said:
What do you propose they do, spend the off season sat on the couch watching reruns of Lost? These guys are adrenaline junkies and it's no surprise that their hobbies reflect that. When you go on holiday do you plan your time to ensure nothing could get in the way of your job when you get home?
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I'm sure many would plan a holiday which gets them as far away from their professional life as possible

I'm kind of with you though, this is just unfortunate more than anything. Wish him all the best with his recovery
 
Webber had an accident mountain biking, should they all be stopped from doing that? You can easily suffer serious injury skiing yet Ferrari take their whole team including drivers on a ski trip every preseason. They probably will end up stopping them rallying but it's daft imo, plenty of times they've done it will no issue and one accident stops it.

Edit: that was in reply to Marchi - I'm just slow.
 
R_Nick said:
Webber had an accident mountain biking, should they all be stopped from doing that? You can easily suffer serious injury skiing yet Ferrari take their whole team including drivers on a ski trip every preseason. They probably will end up stopping them rallying but it's daft imo, plenty of times they've done it will no issue and one accident stops it.

Edit: that was in reply to Marchi - I'm just slow.
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I can't remember where but I thought I read a story about the vrrmmmm even that the drivers aren't allowed to ski. They mess around in some Fiats but thats as far as their snow adventure goes. Webbers incident was a freak accident that landed in him alot of hot water. I don't believe he did the expedition this year. Rally on the other hand is taking these levels to the extreme. Its not like track racing in that there are safe barriers. This is flat out on back roads and its not unthinkable that he's just zoned in and failed to pay attention to pace notes especially considering how different the two sports are.

But again, all things aside this is still terrible accident that may still take his life let alone his career. I hope he survives and thats far more important then racing a car again.



Edit: rulled out life threatening injuries but injuries are still serious. Press conference at 4.
 
Bloody hell, just heard the news. All the best for a full recovery Robert, has all the talent to be a WDC and I hope we still get to see him back behind the wheel of an F1 car again.
 
Count Duckula said:
When will these drivers realise not to spend their off-season putting their lives and careers at risk? It's like Webber breaking his foot twice in one season by mountain biking.
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Yeah but I can understand why they want to do that stuff , speed is in there blood.
Many people do a hobby to get some excitement in there life , what do they do F1 is about the most exciting thing a man could do on 4 wheels.
Can you really see they doing slow thing in there hols , like fishing or stamp collecting , they are adrenalin junkies and need there fix.
 
marchi-91 said:
I can't remember where but I thought I read a story about the vrrmmmm even that the drivers aren't allowed to ski. They mess around in some Fiats but thats as far as their snow adventure goes.
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Nah they definitely ski, I remember seeing pics of Raikkonen on a snowboard doing jumps etc. He always did extra stuff away from the track though.

Still, like you say the most important thing is Kubicas recovery, I sincerely hope we see him back behind the wheel one day.
 
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Doesn't look good. Hope he races again. Robert is one of favorite drivers and a true racer.
 
Just read his internal bleeding stopped, amputation ruled out, operation to continue till 7pm.
 
No word yet about the functionality of his arm. There is a chance he could lose it since there was nerve damage. No amputation though.
 
pauldyson1uk said:
Always liked Kubica , think he is an excellent driver , hope he gets over this .
Sadly doubt we will see him for the start of the season on 13 March.
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If they manage to save his arm the amount of physio he will have to endure plus the fact we don't know if he will have full function of his arm there is no way we will see him behind the wheel this season, he will be lucky if he can race in F1 again
 
Im getting the updates from BBC F1/Autosport and other writers on Twitter. A few more updates from David Croft 5live.

# CroftyF1

Eric Boullier also said it was far too early to think about a replacement for Robert in Bahrain, but more than likely he wouldn't be racing 2 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone

# David Croft CroftyF1

Have spoken to Eric Boullier who says Robert lost a lot of blood in his hand but ruled out amputation. Operation has gone well so far though
 
Robert Kubica is expected to make a full recovery after he was airlifted to hospital following a high-speed crash in a rally event in Italy on Sunday morning.

Kubica had to be cut from the Skoda Fabia he was driving after his car crashed into a wall during the Rally Ronde di Andora. His co-driver, Jacub Gerber, walked away unscathed.

His Lotus Renault GP team confirmed that Kubica suffered "multiple fractures to his right arm, leg and hand" in the incident, and he underwent surgery at the Santa Corona Hospital near Genoa on Sunday afternoon.

Kubica's agent, Daniele Morelli, is confident his client will be able to return to action.

"The surgeons are trying to restore the functions of his right hand," Morelli said. "They have already revascularized the limb and repaired the bone structure.

"Now they have to think about the muscular functions but Robert has strong character and he will make it."

Fernando Alonso voiced his support for the Renault driver, who is expected to miss the start of the season which begins in Bahrain next month.

"Let's all support Robert Kubica, who suffered an accident today. Besides a great driver, he is a great person," Alonso wrote on his Twitter page.

"I'm thinking of Robert, wish him all the best and hope to see him soon on the track and especially off-track as a friend," Timo Glock said, while Williams' Rubens Barrichello Tweeted: "I would like to ask you for your best wishes to Kubica. He is being operated on right now. We all like him and he deserves all the best."
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Renault driver Robert Kubica expected to make full recovery after rally crash | Renault | Formula 1 news, live F1 | ESPN F1
 
So incredibly unfortunate for the armco to just penetrate all the way through like that but also incredibly lucky to have avoided a fatal injury. On one image I noticed that part of his seat was broken, must have been inches from something really bad.
 
Video recored in the car driving behind Kubica. Watch from 3:15.

Nothing special, but you can see how the car looked and listen Italian drivers.

 
Renault defend Robert Kubica over rally decision

Renault have defended Robert Kubica's decision to participate in a rally so close to the start of the Formula 1 season, which begins on 13 March.

Kubica, 26, had surgery on Sunday after his right hand was partially severed and he suffered arm and leg fractures in a high-speed rally crash in Italy.

"He loves rallying. We knew the risks and so did he," Renault team boss Eric Boullier told Italian news agency Ansa.

"We didn't want a robot or a corporate man for a driver. It was agreed."
Pole Kubica crashed after his car hit a church wall as he approached the start of the Ronde di Andora rally on Sunday morning and it was reported that his Formula 1 career could be at risk as a consequence of the injuries.

The 26-year-old, who finished eighth in the drivers' table last season, was in an induced coma overnight after seven hours of surgery and described as being in a serious but stable condition.

Boullier, who is due to visit Kubica along with the driver's team-mate Vitaly Petrov, told the BBC on Monday: "When you have a big crash like Robert suffered on Sunday, doctors always predict the worst-case scenario.

"Definitely he took seven hours in the surgery room to repair his hand and his arm.

"This morning it was really fine - they needed 24 hours to make sure he recovered completely and it looks like this morning they are all happy.

"He is definitely out for a couple of months. The recovery will be quicker than one year but it is a bit early to know exactly how long he will need."

Kubica was reportedly trapped in his car for more than an hour while specialist cutting equipment arrived at the crash scene before he airlifted to the Santa Corona hospital near Genoa, where he was operated on.

Surgeon Mario Igor Rossello said after Sunday's operation that he was "moderately satisfied" and expected the driver to recover "enough functionality for him to resume his activity".

On Monday morning, Rosello added: "The hand is warm and this means the operation went well.

"We need at least six days to check if the circulation of the blood in the limb responds as it should."

Renault will decide who will replace Kubica in his absence once they have a better idea of how long it will take for him to recover.

The former driver for the BMW Sauber team regularly competes in rallies and was driving a week after a successful testing session in the new Renault car in Valencia , ahead of the season's opening grand prix in Bahrain.

He had been due to lead the Renault team alongside Russian Petrov, who has a long-term contract after signing for the 2011 and 2012 campaign during the winter.

The reserve drivers for 2011 include Bruno Senna - who raced for Hispania last season - and Frenchman Romain Grosjean, who drove for Renault as a replacement for Nelson Piquet Jr in 2009.

"We are already starting to think and work on a contingency plan," added Boullier.

"We don't know yet, we are actually waiting to know how long it will take because [if it is] a short-term replacement we will take one of our reserve drivers; if he has to be longer we may have to consider different options."

It is likely that either of the reserve drivers will be called up for the second pre-season test, which starts in Jerez on Thursday.
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BBC Sport - F1 - Renault defend Robert Kubica over rally decision

Good to see some sense in them not bemoaning his taking part in the rally.

Hopefully their prognosis of months rather than over a year is accurate, but only time will tell on that.
 
I'm surprised the drivers are allowed to participate in events like this.
 
I don't think Schumi can compete for the title this year too. His age is not really the problem. His car is a bigger problem. If he can get a car like the car Button had when he won the title under Brawn, then I say we have a very nice season on our hands.
 
RDCR07 said:
I don't think Schumi can compete for the title this year too. His age is not really the problem. His car is a bigger problem. If he can get a car like the car Button had when he won the title under Brawn, then I say we have a very nice season on our hands.
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I think his old injuries will be more of a problem , he could not do some of the pre season simulator stuff because of ,I think a back problem.
 
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