Doctors expect Kubica will be walking “in weeks”

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Robert Kubica’s doctors say he should be walking with crutches in a few weeks.

Links

Top F1 links from the past 24 hours:

F1 driver Kubica to be on feet within weeks: doctors (AFP via Google)

“In a few weeks it is likely he will be able to walk around [with crutches]’ doctors at the Santa Corona de Pietra hospital said Friday.”

Anthony Davidson on Twitter

“Meanwhile there was slight confusion in Sebring earlier when I was sure i spotted an F1 Ferrari in the car park?óÔé¼?ª http://twitpic.com/4ajoql

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Comment of the day

Leon contrasts the different moods at McLaren and Red Bull:

Pretty stark comparison between Webber’s upbeat comments about ‘fantastic winter’ at Red Bull. OK. Webber maybe talking their happy time up a wee bit just to rub other teams’ noses in it, but still their upbeat sounds are at the other end of the keyboard to the gloomy mood music coming out of McLaren.

From the forum

Should drivers get to choose their own numbers?

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On this day in F1

This year any drivers who fail to set a time within 107% of the fastest lap in Q1 will not be able to start the race.

Here’s an opinion piece I wrote a year ago on why the rule isn’t needed, which attracted a lot of comments:

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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41 comments on “Doctors expect Kubica will be walking “in weeks””

  1. Wow. A week out from the start of the season, and we’re practically in radio silence. It’s like the period between Christmas and the New Year all over again, only quieter. Weird.

    Still, there’s the Clipsal 500 today and tomorrow on a shortened version of the old Formula 1 circuit in Adelaide to satisfy your racing fix. If you can bring yourself to watch it.

    1. I was thinking it looked a little quiet up there!

      Calm before the storm.

    2. The Clipsal 500 is a thorn in the backside of staging F1 in Victoria and South Australia. It is an example of how to stage a motorsport weekend.

      Attendances are always high, the locals do get behind it and most of all – its profitable.

      On top of that the cars are driven by personalities that people can actually get behind, not just some European PR machine. Iceing on the cake, theres overtaking. Indicator of how good it is – Murray Walkers favourite race weekend to attend.

      With something like that so popular and so successful in Australia I can see why some people want to make it a thing of the past in Melbourne.

      1. Jack Flash - Adelaide
        19th March 2011, 2:31

        Makes you wonder why staging the V8 Supercars Clipsal 500 one weekend, then staging the AUST GP F1 Round on the following weekend at the same track in Adelaide (already set up into the full circuit again), couldn’t balance out fiscally. It would have to be a lower logistic and cost model for F1.

        Melbourne’s Albert Park event has done a fine job of F1 GP, but perhaps International Visitors would attend a Race Double weekend – if it kicks off the F1 Calendar. A pretty unique Motorsport-fest.
        Must be a better solution over losing the AUST GP F1 Race altogether.

        ‘Food for Thought’ to GP event organisers. JF

        1. (already set up into the full circuit again)

          Because it’s too short. The original circuit was only about 30m longer than Monaco. In order for the race to return to Adelaide, it would have to be run on something like this to be long enough.

          1. No offence or anything PM, but that circuit would never happen in a million years.

            The current V8 circuit uses 2 of the 4 roads from the Eastern suburbs into the CBD, with the F1 circuit using 3. Your circuit would use all 4. The traffic congestion with just 2 closed is bad enough and there are enough complaints as it is with 2 closed. The government simply wouldn’t let all 4 of the roads be closed.

            Secondly the track would only be able to use existing roads. A few years back there was a massive outcry from the Parklands Preservation Society when it was proposed that a permanent pit building be built, with the plan eventually being scrapped. There is no way the Society, which practically holds the City of Adelaide Council to ransom, would allow new race track to be built in the parklands, especially around the Rymil Park Lake.

            Personally I think that if F1 is to ever return they should use the existing Grand Prix Track that they used til ’95. So what if it’s short? You have always said, and I agree, that their needs to be a variety of circuits on the calendar.

          2. No offence or anything PM, but that circuit would never happen in a million years.

            The route itself is not the point. The point is that the old circuit is too short, and even with some extensions, it’s still a kilometre shorter than the standard circuit these days.

        2. I must admit, Adelaide is the only place in the world that I’d be happy to lose the Melbourne Grand Prix to. I just watched the V8 Supercar race, and whilst it’s not exactly the same layout, it is perhaps one of the best street circuits around. Having not ever seen an F1 race in Adelaide, I can’t really judge, but from what I’ve seen, the racing seems to be better in Melbourne. There are few things in the world I’d be more upset with than the Melbourne Grand Prix being dumped, but if it went to Adelaide, I would be happy. Still, I like Melbourne more, it’s just a shame that the minority are getting through to the local politicians in Melbourne and the race is in jeopardy. I saw in the 1997 Australian Grand Prix program track-map just how many grand-stands no longer exist in Melbourne because of the drop in attendance. There was two at turn 5, one all the way along the outside of turn 8, another large one on the outside of turn 12, one at turn 13 and one at turn 14. All of those no longer exist.

      2. Iceing on the cake, theres overtaking.

        That’s because it’s a touring car race. Touring cars are completely different to Formula 1 cars. If you think that Formula 1 can somehow match V8 Supercars for the overtaking it provides, you evidently don’t know much about motorsport.

        1. Whoa, calm down. You’ve basically taken what I’ve said and turned in such a manner to have a go at me. Something meaningful to say or just trying to live up to the “internet warrior” tag? You still haven’t even given me an answer on my coffee date offer yet…..

          You’ve missed my point, again. I never said I wanted F1 would match V8 supercars. All I said is theres overtaking, a very good observation at that. Various things have been introduced in F1 over recent years to help overtaking, as theres next to none.

          But hey, I evidently don’t know anything about motorsport right….

          1. But there IS overtaking at Albert Park. That’s part of why it’s popular with F1 Fanatics.

          2. Ladies and gentleman, I give you the FLame Warriors home page
            http://redwing.hutman.net/~mreed/index.htm
            Its a site detailing the different types of people on the net.

            Here we have Hamish and Prisoner Monkeys!
            http://redwing.hutman.net/~mreed/warriorshtm/duelists.htm

            Hopefully both those chaps can laugh this off, I mean no offence guys.

          3. Haha thats pretty good. No offence taken. I just really wish the guy would get back to me about this ocffee date….

        2. It doesn’t stand out as a circuit with lots of overtaking. I don’t think we can use last year as an example as it was wet.

          1. Even if it doesn’t stand out, it regularly produces close and exciting racing (like in the dry races in 2006, 2008 and 2009), which is anyway more important than having tons of overtaking. Albert Park’s racing is fine.

  2. Ha!!! The tweet from Ant made my day!!!

    1. In a way it’s a good thing there isn’t a US grand prix this year. The internet would be full of comments about how Ferrari had dozens (at least) of F1 cars in the parking lot!

    2. Yeah…fantastic!

    3. Nice one, I liked it very much as well.

  3. Just out of interest. how woud i be able to watch some GP2 on tv this year?? isnt it eurosport that show it or am i wrong??

    1. It is Eurosport yes. Crappy quality though.

    2. No GP2 Asia this weekend it seems though :(

      1. Its being screened this weekend, but the coverage is 30 min highlights (not enough) of each race. WTCC is on this weekend aswell.

        1. Does anyone in Australia know where I can catch the GP2 this year? I really want to watch it as I’m a big fan, but there’s no coverage in Australia at all. :(

          1. There might be a few streams that appear on Twitter when the races are on Damon.

          2. This should work

            http://www.everythingon.tv/

            It has both EuroSport channels, I use it a lot at Uni.

          3. Thanks RIISE! I’ll give it a try some time soon. ;)

    3. Yeah. Cheers mate. Great site

  4. Great to see Rob’s recovery coming along so well, the guy has tigerblood!

  5. Kubica, who drives for the Renault Formula One team, narrowly escaped having his right arm and hand amputated after he crashed at high speed while travelling to a rally in northern Italy.

    Oh, nice – not only did they get it wrong when they said his whole arm was in danger of amputation, but they then made it sound like he was driving on the -street- at ‘high speed’ when he crashed, not that he was on the stage racing! Adding insult to injury indeed… *rolls eyes*

    1. He may have been in danger of his whole arm being amputated. His elbow was pretty badly damaged in addition to his hand, and required its own separate surgery to be repaired. Great to hear he’ll be on crutches soon. That must mean his hand and elbow are healing extremely well if he’ll be able to grab the crutches…

    2. Oh, nice – not only did they get it wrong when they said his whole arm was in danger of amputation,

      You forget that it took an hour for the medics to get Kubica out of the car, an hour were blood was not getting to his forearm therefore not repairing it internally and getting the required oxygen.

      Necrosis could have set in during that time because his hand was essentially dying, not to mention his body automatically trying to pump extra blood to his broken leg and the fact he lost a lot of blood.

      US_peter (as ever, Peter the source of common sense and level headed arguments) also makes a good point with Kubica needing separate surgery on his elbow.

      1. I’ve never before been accused of level headedness or of using common sense! Scandalous!

        Good point about the timeframe and blood loss as well. He’ll be very lucky indeed to be back in F1, but it’s certainly looking more and more like he will be.

  6. Don’t read Bernie Ecclestones new book then. I’ll prepare your eulogy.

  7. Hey Keith,

    With under a week till the first race I was just wondering if you were going to kick off the Prediction Championship again this year. I hope you do.

  8. DeadManWoking
    19th March 2011, 9:02

    McLaren launches new racer at the Technology Center 17/03/11

    http://venge.specialized.com/#/home

    1. So now all F1 teams are going into cycling. Williams gave a special bike to Rubens last year, Glock got a new bike from a sponsor and trains with Klöden, Button trained with Armstrong, Alonso rides with Contador and now McLaren got involved in a bike for Cavendish.

      Looking for synergy?

      1. + cycling teams tend to use windtunnels for their TT tests. I know Jurgen Vandenbroeck tested in the McLaren windtunnel this winter.

  9. The nearer the F1 season start get the more good news I hear about Kubica.

    1. heres hoping for a full recovery by 2012 I’m really going to miss him this season

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