Robert Kubica almost lost his hand in rally crash

The full details of F1 driver Robert Kubica's horror-crash during a rally in Italy have emerged as the Polish driver remains in intensive care in hospital near Genoa having undergone hours of surgery in a bid to save his right hand.
 
His co-driver in the Ronde di Andora rally on Sunday, fellow Pole Jakub Gerber, has confirmed that the damage was done by a crash barrier that skewered the car when Kubica lost control on a corner. The railing ripped through the front of the car and into Kubica's right side, smashing and partially severing his arm and leaving him with multiple fractures of the hand, shoulder, elbow and leg.
 
It has been reported that the Renault driver lost five pints of blood as emergency services battled to cut him free. He was eventually released from the wreckage of the Skoda Fabia and airlifted to hospital where he underwent seven hours of surgery to save his hand and repair other fractures.
 
The 26-year-old will remain in hospital in Pietra Ligure and may need to undergo further surgery. Doctors say it could take up to a year for him to recover and that he will the entire F1 season, which starts next month in Bahrain.
 
Gerber, who was unhurt in the accident, said that at first he did not think it was a serious crash. He said: "Only when I saw that there was a metal barrier pressing into Robert and blocking him moving I realised that the situation was very serious."
 
He also criticised other competitors for driving past the stricken vehicle. "Cars that should have stopped just passed by us," he said. "I called the ambulance, and there was a whole rescue action, the fire brigade came, then the helicopter.
 
"The ambulance got there quickly but I think we waited at least half an hour for the fire engine and cutting Robert free also took a long time. I think the whole rescue took about an hour, maybe longer," he added.
 
Bruno Senna is set to deputise for Kubica in the first F1 race of the season at Bahrain.

While the doctor overseeing Kubica's recovery believes it could take a year for him to regain full use of his right hand, which was almost torn off in the crash, and that the broken bones in his leg will need several months to set, Renault team principal Eric Boullier was rather more upbeat in his assessment.

"Doctors always predict the worst-case scenario," he told the BBC. "The recovery will be quicker than one year but it is too early to know exactly how long. He is definitely out for a couple of months."
 
He also defended the decision to let Kubica take part in a rally so close to the start of the season. "We've let him do it because rallying is what he loves to do. We knew the risks and so did he. We didn't want a robot or a corporate man for a driver." ·