Robert Kubica's F1 Racing Career in Limbo After Rally Car Crash

Photo Credit: Andrew Ferraro/LAT Photographic

Competing in the Ronda de Andora Rally in Italy, Formula 1 regular driver for Lotus Renault GP Robert Kubica suffered a frightening worst case scenario accident. Early Sunday, his DP Autosport Skoda collided at high-speed with a wall just 5 kilometers after starting the race's first stage. Due to the severity of the wreck, the need to exercise care extracting the driver safely and a 55-kilometer transportation distance, Kubica's arrival at the Santa Corona Hospital in Pietra Ligure took a total of 2 hours.

 According to some media reports, doctors were at one time considering amputation of the right hand. However, after quick examination, physicians did not need to resort to this action on Kubica's hand. With multiple fractures to the Formula 1 winning driver's right hand and leg that includes a deep cut to his forearm, a 7-hour operation was required. By late Sunday, the recovering 27-year old Robert Kubica has been placed into an induced coma until Monday morning as he rests in stable but serious condition overnight.

An update on Kubica's condition is expected to be held 9:30 AM local time at the Santa Corona Hospital. Robert Kubica's manager Daniel Morelli and the Director for the Regional Centre of Hand Surgery Professor Mario Igor Rossello will be present to announce the latest on the Formula 1 driver's prognosis.

With Robert Kubica fortunately surviving the rally car crash, the driver's participation in the 2011 Formula 1 season for Lotus Renault GP is highly doubtful. Awaiting more information on Kubica's recovery, the Lotus Renault GP team thoughts are with their injured race car pilot. Team Principal and Managing Director Eric Boullier said within a statement Sunday “The news of Robert’s accident came as a real shock to the whole team. All of us, at Lotus Renault GP, wish him a quick recovery. We have been really impressed with the way the doctors looked after him today and we would like to thank the whole team of the Santa Corona Hospital for their professional approach and dedication". Several members of the Lotus Renault GP organization including Boullier and Formula 1 teammate Vitaly Petrov.

With a long recovery predicted for Robert Kubica to potentially regain use of his right hand, Lotus Renault GP plans for the upcoming 2011 Formula 1 season will need to be revised. Proving to have top speed with Kubica just 3 days prior at Valencia, Spain test, the team will have to promote one of their reserve drivers to the Type 125 race car's seat for Bahrain in March. Having just signed Bruno Senna, strong indications has the young Brazilian driver rejoining the Formula 1 race grid for 2011.

Jenson Button Wins Suspenseful Australian Grand Prix

Photo Credit: Lotus Racing

Late last year, the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park was in danger of being lost on the Formula 1 schedule. Thanks to a commitment from the Victorian government of Australia and the title sponsorship of Qantas Airways, the Australian Grand Prix was saved. Providing a early season challenge against new race equipment and Formula 1 drivers, the Australian Grand Prix enters 2010 as the first sight of colour to a gray start. Many critical reviews of the season opening 2010 Formula 1 race, Bahrain Grand Prix, judged the event as snooze-worthy.

On Sunday, the Melbourne area endured a rain shower that drenched the 3.295 mile Albert Park complex. Though the rain stopped by the time the 2010 Australian Grand Prix started, potential was already mounting for a much more eventful race than the season opener. With the field starting on intermediate thread Bridgestone tires, the start was guaranteed to challenge the 24 Formula 1 drivers struggling for grip on cooler tires. Right off the starting line, the Lotus-Cosworth of Jarno Trulli became the first retirement when his car suffered hydraulic problems. This is the second time this season that Trulli would fall out to this issue.

Intent on improving on the lost opportunity at Bahrain, German driver Sebastian Vettel rolled to pole position over his Red Bull Racing teammate Mark Webber in Saturday qualifying. As the lights went off to start the Australian Grand Prix, Vettel shot to a slight lead. With pretty of wheel-banging and contact right off the start as the Red Bull-Renault took off, the initial lap will end under with a safety car leading the all cars. A multi-car wreck between Sebastien Buemi, Nico Hulkenberg and Kamui Kobayashi into turn 6 rendered all three of these racers out of competition.

When the safety car returned to pit road, the Albert Park track had dried substantially but the track was still too slippery for most teams to elect a change to slick tires. With many drivers experiencing brief off-track excursions, the only driver who suffered a permanent effect was Renault rookie Vitaly Petrov who slid into the sand trap on lap 9 ending his race. In spite of questionable traction, the drying track tempted the McLaren F1 team to bring Jenson Button to pit lane as the first taker for stick tires. A gamble, Button was running 2nd at this point in the event for McLaren. While Button fought unsuccessfully to completely keep the Mercedes-powered McLaren on the circuit, he would continue to set faster times on the dry weather rubber.

Starting with a 1-2 start for Red Bull Racing, Australian Mark Webber lost touch with his teammate Sebastian Vettel early. Webber fell further back as a late call going to slick tires cost him time running on the slower intermediate Bridgestones. With Vettel still leading the hopes for Red Bull Racing, lap 20 would end the day for the German racing superstar. Described as a wheel issue, Vettel's car spun out the track into the turn 13 sand trap. "...I had huge vibrations building up and as soon as I touched the brakes, I had some sort of failure going in to Turn 13 and ended up in the gravel." Vettel commented on the Red Bull Racing website.

With Sebastian Vettel out of commission, the McLaren-Mercedes of Jenson Button was able to maintain a comfortable grasp on the lead as he went on to win the 2010 Australian Grand Prix. Finishing 12 seconds behind Button was the factory Renault of Robert Kubica. Running without major incident, Kubica's podium for Renault F1 is the first for the team since the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix.

In 3rd position, Felipe Massa brought the Ferrari F2010 home to his Italian race team's first Australian podium since Kimi Raikkonen's win in 2007. Following up the effort of Massa, fellow Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso arrived across the finish line fourth. Alonso position at the finish resulted are a hardest fought 3-way battle through the closing laps. Driving his McLaren-Mercedes Lewis Hamilton, attempting to recover lost ground after a pit road penalty, was slip-streaming (referred in the United States as drafting) Alonso's Ferrari with the resurgent Red Bull Renault of Mark Webber also hot pursuit for both cars. With 2 laps to go, Hamilton timed a move into a braking section on the outside of Alonso. Countering the McLaren, Alonso was successful in holding off the charge by braking only at the last minute. Disturbing Hamilton's momentum, the McLaren slowed to make the corner. However, Mark Webber did not react in time to avoid running into the back of Hamilton causing both of their cars to spin out. Losing touch with Fernando Alonso. Lewis Hamilton would finish 6th while Mark Webber would salvage a 9th place result after being his Red Bull-Renault for a front wing replacement.

After two races, the Formula 1 driver's championship points sees Fernando Alonso holding a 4 point lead over his teammate Felipe Massa. With a total of three podium finishes in the first two races of the 2010 season and their drivers first and second early in the F1 driver's championship, the Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team is off to their best start in years.

The Formula 1 cars heads directly to Malaysia for a April 4th running of their county's Grand Prix. In the Malaysia Grand Prix last season, a heavy monsoon downpour led the FIA officials to end the race at 31 laps. Driving for Brawn GP in 2009, Jenson Button triumphed.


2010 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix Race Results

1. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes
2. Robert Kubica Renault F1
3. Felipe Massa Ferrari
4. Fernando Alonso Ferrari
5. Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP
6. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
7. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes
8. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth
9. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault
10. Michael Schumacher Mercedes GP
11. Jaime Alguersuari STR-Ferrari
12. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari
13. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth
14. Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth
15. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth
16. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth
17. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
18. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes
19. Vitaly Petrov Renault
20. Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth
21. Sebastien Buemi STR-Ferrari
22. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth
23. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari
24. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth

Formula 1: Hamilton, McLaren Leads Day 1 Practice for Australia Grand Prix

Photo Credit: Andrew Ferraro/ LAT Photographic

Following 2010 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, Formula 1 teams were able to assess where there competitive program stood against the best efforts of their rivals. A quick glance at the podium following the race in Bahrain, fans of the glimmering red Scuderia Ferraris were able to cheer loudly as the team's F2010 car went to a 1-2 finish. Beyond the success of Ferarri, a certified turf war between major two Mercedes-Benz powered teams of Mercedes GP and McLaren, a Red Bull Racing mechanical struggle that proved costly for the than F1 superstar Sebastian Vettel as well as a survival of the fittest between the three new Formula 1 teams became the dominant memories of the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix.

For the second race of the 2010 Formula 1 season, the world open-wheel series team sets foot in the land down under for the Australian Grand Prix. Racing within the stunning Albert Park circuit, the 12 teams of making up the 2010 Formula 1 grid realize that this Melbourne track is also a punishing test for their new racing equipment.

In Day 1, two practice sessions took place around Australian midday. Following a ho-hum debut with his Renault F1 team in Bahrain, Robert Kubica and his formula 1 car flew to the fastest time in the initial tune-up for the 2010 Australian Grand Prix. Setting a time of 1 minute, 26.927 seconds, Kubica outran the factory Mercedes GP team's Nico Rosberg by two-tenths of a second. The McLaren Mercedes team driver Jenson Button placed third in front of the Ferrari of Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel piloting his Red Bull-Renault.


Photo Credit: Mercedes GP


Through the first practice, the BMW Sauber team gained exposure in a less than desirable way as the car driven by Kamui Kobayashi would bring out two red flag periods. Colliding with a track marker cone, the BMW Sauber-Ferrari's impact with the plastic marker caused the front wing assembly to break off. Sent back onto the Albert Park track for lapping, Kobayashi would learn that the front wing repair was not lasting. The aerodynamic front piece came away from the Sauber drawing the practice session's second red flag. While the first practice for Kobayashi in the Sauber was less than fruitful, the second day 1 session saw an improvement to 13th fastest.

As the second session of qualifying commenced, a light rain dampened the Melbourne race circuit. However, with the precipitation registering mostly as sprinkles, most teams continued lapping on the track on dry weather slick tires. With the track still intact for dry weather runs, the cooler temperatures of the second session also aided teams in improving their speeds over the first practice. The second practice was so fast that 9 drivers bested Robert Kubica's time in the morning.

Leading Formula 1 drivers after the second practice would be the McLaren Mercedes group led by 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton blistering around Albert Park in 1 minute, 25.801 seconds. Two-tenths behind Hamilton, Jenson Button put his car ahead of the second Red Bull Racing vehicle of Mark Webber. With Mark Webber making a fantastic showing in front of his homeland population, he was also positioned ahead of Michael Schumacher.

Two honable mentions from the second practice are Vitaly Petrov in 5th and Toro Rosso team driver Sebastian Buemi in 6th place.

Vitaly Petrov Joins Kubica in 2010 Renault F1 Team

Photo Credit: Renault F1 Team


As teams like Mercedes GP, Ferrari and McLaren F1 are taking the wraps off their competition machines, there are still a few organizations rushing through their final full-month of preparation for the 2010 Formula 1 season. The Renault F1 Team remained as one of the only returning Grand Prix teams yet to confirm drivers for both vehicles. Signing former BMW Sauber driver Robert Kubica before the end of the 2009 Formula 1 season, the Renault F1 Team waited until the 31st of January to add Kubica's teammate. Alongside the Polish driver, Renault has committed to F1 rookie Vitaly Petrov to pair with Kubica.

Making his first big mark in the Russian Lada Revolution Championship, Petrov won pole in every round in 2004 and the overall championship in 2005. His latest accomplishments have been some standout runs made in GP2 races for both the European and Asia series. The 26 year old Petrov's young career is highlighted last season by a runner-up spot in the major GP2 championship behind Nico Hülkenberg (Hulkenberg has been signed to drive for Williams F1 through 2010).



Photo Credit: Andrew Ferraro /LAT Photographic

Petrov's addition comes on the team's introduction of the Renault R30 race car in Valencia, Spain. A rookie set become the first Russian driver to compete on the full 2010 Formula 1 schedule, Vitaly Petrov name was no stranger to Grand Prix insiders. At the end of 2009, Petrov was highly rumoured to be behind the wheel of a race car belonging to Formula 1 newcomer Campos Meta.

Renault Firms Up Plans for 2010 F1 Season

Photo Credit: Renault F1 Racing

In the midst of still savage climate in auto racing as auto manufacturers continue to struggle for profitability, Formula 1 has experienced 3 major departures through the past two seasons (Honda, BMW and Toyota). Desiring some stability, the FIA took comfort with French auto maker Renault reaffirming its commitment to the ultra exotic open-wheel series for 2010. However, this renewal by Renault to powering the Formula 1 grid came with a concurring announcement changing the nature of their relationship in the sport.

Renault F1, the French auto maker's factory team, will now be majority-owned by a private investment partner entering into 2010. Genii Capital, a Luxembourg-based group known as specialists of new technologies and brand imaging bought what is called a 'large stake' of the Renault F1 operation as the Renault factory looks to getting the best value for their sponsorship as one of the most expensive sports on earth. Genii Capital may also be remembered from earlier this year when they unsuccessfully attempted to buy assets of the bankrupt camera innovator Polaroid. It's believed that the name of the team will continue to be Renault F1 for 2010. Robert Kubica has already been signed to drive in the upcoming Formula 1 season with a second driver still yet to be named.

Buying out Bennetton in 2002 to stake their corporate name on a Formula 1 team, Renault F1 took back-to-back constructor championships in 2005 and 2006 thanks largely to Fernando Alonso's driver crowns.

Coinciding with the sale of a major stake in their namesake Formula 1 team, Renault confirmed that Red Bull Racing will continue to run the French powerplants in 2010. Following Red Bull Racing's best grand prix season with 6 victories and a 2nd place in the manufacturer points standings in 2009, this move seemed like a natural. In fact, going into the new Formula 1 season,
the thriving Formula 1 team has retained the final major piece to enter the 2010 season with essentially the same team as the previous year. In fact, with Brawn GP undergoing a massive corporate reshuffling which includes driver changes and the rebranding as Mercedes Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing could theoretically be heading for a banner year on the 2010 Formula 1 circuit. Having existed solely as an engine supplier in the 1990s, the last F1 customer team to grab a constructors championship was Williams F1 in 1997. Disturbingly though, Renault dropped their official engine support of Formula 1 at the end of that season.

Without making firm plans beyond next year, Renault's planning for the grand prix 2010 season could either be viewed most negatively as a gradual step out of F1, making it the third time Renault withdrew from the sport. However, in a more positive mindset, it is possible that Renault reduced funding (coupled with FIA attempts to cut costs in F1) could provide a better long-term plan for seeing the diamond badge on the grand prix tour.