YOU ASK THE QUESTIONS

Formula 1’s comeback kid explains why he’s fallen out of love with poker but is still in love with motor racing… and exactly what was going through his mind during that crash in Canada 2007

Robert Kubica talks frankly about his road back from injury

Known to be a man of few wasted words, but also one in whom the passion for motor racing burns brightly, Robert Kubica cuts a faintly enigmatic figure in the Melbourne paddock. He wears the trappings of the partially off-duty Formula 1 driver – team kit, not fireproofs – and yet he still remains tantalisingly outside the circle of F1’s elite, in spite of the sheer focus that’s gone into his rehabilitation from the accident that nearly cost him his hand – and his life.

Robert was once a keen poker player (although not any more… read on), and whatever thwarted ambitions he carries with him do not manifest themselves on his face. F1 Racing passes him the cards – it’s a chunky pack; only Kimi Räikkönen would generate such a similarly overflowing postbag – and seemingly without thinking, he shuffles the cards. Old habits die hard.

So too, it seems, does the competitive spirit. What becomes crystal clear over the course of the next half an hour is that despite missing out on the Williams race seat he so coveted, Robert Kubica remains as competitive and committed as ever… Definitely having the opportunity to drive these cars, although F1 has changed a lot compared with when I was racing. They’re achieving very good lap times but in a different way. But I think for a driver, the most enjoyable part of the game is the driving.

Polish fans are becoming a bigger and bigger group and more active, so it’s really nice to be followed and to see them everywhere I go. There has been no one event or race, rally or testing where I have had no Polish support, so that’s really great and I would like to thank them. But it’s not only the Polish fans – so many people out there were cheering for me and supporting me.

What do you most enjoy about being back in Formula 1? Chris Sartor, UK Hi Robert, I’m incredibly proud of what you’ve done – you’re a hero to me. Tell me, how does it feel when you see so many Polish supporters cheering you everywhere? Michal Nieckarz, Poland