Robert Kubica says his ability to drive a Formula One car is 90 percent the same as it was before his rallying accident in 2011 as he waits to hear news on a potential return to F1 in 2018.
Kubica completed over 100 laps in a 2017-spec Williams car at a post-season test in Abu Dhabi last week as the team assessed his ability to drive next year. He still carries the scars of his 2011 accident, which nearly severed his right arm and left him with reduced mobility in his hand and wrist. However, when it comes to driving an F1 car, Kubica says he has learned to adapt to his limitations, which he claims are not as extreme as they appear.
"Honestly, I have much more limitations in my daily life," Kubica said on the stage at the Autosport Awards. "It's not the same driving an F1 car as it has been in the past. Still my limitations are much less than it looks like.
"Ninety percent of my driving is exactly the same as it was in the old days."
Kubica says he was positively surprised by the results he has achieved during his series of tests with Renault and Williams this year.
"I'm in better shape fitness wise than I was in the past. Now I have to work much harder - age doesn't help. The big difference is the brain. It's incredible how big potential the brain has and how quickly it can adapt to different conditions.
"Unfortunately I was interrupted in my career. I had several injuries. In the end, I learned how to live with them, how to drive an F1 car with them and in the end I'm quite surprised by the results I saw."