GENOA, Italy: Injured Renault driver Robert Kubica has left intensive care and has been transferred to the trauma ward. The Polish driver crashed while competing in a rally Sunday and underwent surgery on a broken right hand at the Santa Corona hospital in Pietra Ligure, a small coastal town about 60 kilometers southwest of Genoa. ASNA news agency reported that his condition was considered good enough that he can undergo a double operation on his leg and shoulder Friday. Heidfeld to test Renault gave Nick Heidfeld's stalled Formula One career a jump start Wednesday by calling up the German as a possible replacement for Kubica. The team said in a statement that Heidfeld, who was Kubica's teammate at BMW-Sauber for the best part of four years, would join Russian race regular Vitaly Petrov and Brazilian Bruno Senna at the second pre-season test in Jerez, Spain, this week. Kubica will be out for several months and could miss the entire season. Senna, nephew of the late triple champion Ayrton, is the official reserve driver but lacks Heidfeld's experience. “Vitaly will drive the R31 Thursday and Friday, as originally scheduled,” said the Lotus-backed team, which also has Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi on its three-man list of possible stand-ins. “For Saturday and Sunday, the team will give mileage to Bruno Senna and will also evaluate Nick Heidfeld, who is a potential replacement for Robert Kubica as a race driver. The exact running order for the weekend will be confirmed on Friday evening.” Heidfeld has never won a race in his 172 starts. Only one driver in Formula One history, Italian Andrea De Cesaris, has started more without standing on the top of the podium.
