Robert Kubica pledges to bounce back after accident

GENOA // Robert Kubica, the Formula One driver, says he will be back stronger after his crash in a car rally in northern Italy.

The 26-year-old Pole told La Gazzetta dello Sport he does not remember a thing about Sunday's incident, but he is intent on moving ahead.

Kubica suffered severe injuries to the right side of his body, particularly his right arm, after he apparently lost control and a roadside barrier pierced his car. He underwent surgery on Sunday at Santa Corona Hospital near Genoa and was undergoing more surgery.

Speaking from his hospital bed, Kubica said: "I want to get back on the track stronger than before. Because after these types of accidents, you're not the same, you improve."

He said that was the case after a 2007 crash at the Canadian Grand Prix. "I was out for a competition and when I returned I was better," he said, adding that a driver is more than just someone who puts his foot on the accelerator.

"Since 2007 I've been stronger as a driver, in my head. And it will be the same this time, once I get back into form physically."

He said his main concern was that he had made his mother suffer with fear. His parents had come to Genoa to see him but returned to Poland.

Kubica's Lotus Renault team has said he was to undergo further surgery on his elbow, shoulder and wrist Friday.