Artur Kubica: “Robert Kubica return a miracle”

Robert Kubica has completed a sensational return to the Formula One grid, eight years after the horror crash that nearly killed him. He was competing in the Ronde di Andora rally championship in 2011 when he lost control of his car at high speed and smashed into a roadside barrier. Kubica was trapped for more than an hour before rescue workers managed to free him, allowing him to be airlifted to hospital. He had required a partial amputation of his right forearm, while also suffering severe injuries to his right elbow, shoulder and leg. Now, the 33-year-old is back on the grid and his father says it is a miracle. "If miracles happen, then yes, it is a miracle," Artur Kubica, the 33-year-old's father, told Polish broadcaster TVN24. The surgeon who saved Kubica's severely damaged arm in early 2011 agrees. "We had to fight to keep him alive. The fact that we saved his hand was an additional reward," said Professor Mario Igor Rossello. "It was an uphill struggle for him," Artur Kubica concurred. "I remember when after six months, his leg had healed and then he broke it again. Such cases can destroy you psychologically." Kubica's return is one of the great sporting comebacks, with the Pole admitting he almost lost hope that he might be able to return. "Nobody knows exactly how much surgery I had," he said. "Certainly more than there are races in formula one, and many that were unsuccessful and put me back six months." Kubica's father Artur concluded: "Today I'm happy that he is where he is. I am proud to be his father."

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