Kubica hoping to return this season

Robert Kubica has told in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport he is convinced that he will be able to return to the tracks before the end of the 2011 Formula One season. The Pole thinks he will be returning a better driver once he recovers from the injuries suffered at last weekend’s rally crash.

The Lotus Renault GP driver is in Italy at the moment where he will be undergoing another round of surgery to work on fractures caused by the accident.

Although he will have to go through a long recovery period, and with doctors telling him that making a return to F1 it could take a year, Kubica is only focusing in his return.

"I want to get back on the track stronger than ever, because after these accidents you aren't what you were before, you improve," Kubica said to Gazzetta dello Sport.

Kubica remembered his crash in Canada in 2007, saying that when he came back to competition he was even better. “A driver is not just throttle and steering wheel, it's more than that. There's a difference between someone who drives at 80 per cent and who does at 95 per cent: in that 15 per cent extra you find the abilities and the motivations coming out”, said Kubica.

"Since 2007, I'm stronger head-wise as a driver. And it will be the same this time again, when I'll be back in good physical shape. I must return this year”, added the Pole.

From the accident Kubica is clear, he doesn’t remember anything.

"I'm sorry for what has happened. It shouldn't have. I don't even know what happened; I can't remember anything of the crash. I found myself in hospital and everything was explained by my manager, Daniele Morelli, who has been here since Sunday."

About his condition the Pole said: “The fingers work, I can feel them, and the arm does too. But I'm undergoing surgery, and I will know only after that...”

Kubica is still not sure that he will be able to participate in rallies in the future when his recovery is completed, but he doesn’t regret pursuing his hobby. In fact he says that it helps his F1 driving.

“I drive better in F1 because I did many rallies last year. Rallying helps your concentration, especially since there is almost no more testing in F1. Performance in F1 comes from a series of details,” said Kubica.