Kubica close to leaving hospital after horror crash

(AP)

Robert Kubica is finally hoping to leave hospital within the next 10 days. The 26-year-old has been in hospital in Italy following his serious accident in the Ronde di Andora rally on 6 February.

The Pole was forced to undergo four separate surgical procedures after sustaining multiple fractures to an arm and leg, as well as a partially severed right hand. After being taken off the critical list, the Renault driver has been undergoing extensive rehabilitation, and is now approaching a position where he can continue that work away from hospital.

A further programme will follow under the supervision of Dr Riccardo Ceccarelli, who runs the Italian sports clinic Formula Medicine and is a consultant to Renault.

"I am starting to feel a lot better now," said Kubica. "My recovery is moving in the right direction. My strength and weight are increasing day on day and as a result I will leave the hospital very soon."

Of primary concern has long been the condition of Kubica's right hand, the mobility of which he has admitted "is limited".

However, he added: "This is pretty normal in this kind of situation because the connected arm muscles are still very weak due to the long period of immobility.

"Things are definitely improving day by day. As soon as I leave hospital, I'll head to my home in Monaco for a short period of rest. Then I'll move to Dr Ceccarelli's facilities where I will start a deep rehabilitation program and a preliminary soft training programme. The two programmes will gradually cross over based on the speed of my recovery."