GreenBkk.com Formula 1 | 'It was a horrifying view'

'It was a horrifying view'

Robert Kubica's co-driver, Jakub Gerber, and fellow competitor Mauro Moreno have given harrowing accounts of the accident which left the Pole in a serious condition.

Renault F1 driver Kubica suffered a partially severed right hand and fractures to his right arm and leg in a high-speed crash in the Ronde di Andora Rally on Sunday.

His co-driver Gerber explained what happened and revealed that it took half an hour to remove the injured Kubica from the car.

"We knew the surface was slippery because of the humidity and we were ready," Gerber told Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport. "After skidding, the car leaned against the guard rail and pushed it outwards. Then it crashed against the following guard rail.

"The guard rail pierced through the car and went all the way through it. I immediately saw it was serious, he also had a bad bruise under his eye after hitting the steering wheel. Robert passed out and I exited through the window because the door was stuck.

"The ambulance arrived immediately and then came the firemen. They took over half an hour to pull him out. The first crew didn't have the shears so they had to wait for another crew. Then the helicopter couldn't land in that spot, so Robert had to be moved and more time was lost."

Another driver Mauro Moreno, one of the first people on the scene, gave his account of the crash.

"It was a horrifying view. I called him by name a couple of times, but he didn't reply," he said.

"The steel blade was coming out of the hatchback. His co-driver signalled to me he had no problems so I asked Robert if he was ok too. But that was useless because he was in a state of semi-unconsciousness and he wouldn't talk."

Gerber was also critical of the safety measures.

"That opening [between the two sections of barrier] makes no sense," he added. "But, most of all, we shouldn't have cars with so little protection at the front. It's not the first time a crash like this happens - the Federation should think of something to protect the cockpit."

He also dismissed suggestions that the accident was caused by a car failure or a mistake by Kubica.

"In a competition you try to go as quickly as possible. Robert is the type of person that thinks hard, always looks a step ahead, he's precise, fast and clean. A complete driver."

Credit: PlanetF1.com (www.planetf1.com)