Robert Kubica has confirmed that he cannot commit to being ready for the start of the 2012 Formula One season, saying that he has informed the team in order for them to begin planning for the new season without him.
The injured Polish driver confirmed that he would not be in a position to start the new season at the wheel of a Formula One car in a statement on the official team website.Kubica admitted that the decision had been "difficult", but said that he needed more time to fully recover from his injuries.
He has been out of action since early February, when he injured his right arm, hand and leg in a pre-season rallying crash in Italy, after a metal barrier penetrated the cockpit of his Skoda car.
Renault confirmed on Wednesday that: "Robert's progress remains impressive – he can now walk freely, and move his hand and elbow - but he feels that he needs more time to return to full fitness."
In the statement, Kubica confirmed that he was still working hard on a racing comeback, and that his recovery remained "encouraging", but said that he would not be ready for the start of the season.
"Even if I've been working very, very hard over the course of the last few weeks, I came to the conclusion that I am not yet certain to be ready for the 2012 season," he explained in the statement.
"I have called the team and I have informed them of the situation. This was a difficult decision to make, but it is the most reasonable one."
He added: "I also know that LRGP need to prepare for next year, and further extending deadlines would not have been the right thing to do.
"On a personal level, my recovery is still very encouraging and my doctors keep being impressed. I just need more time, as I want to be 100 per cent ready before I commit to anything driving related."
Kubica also took time to thank the media for allowing him time to recover, and apologised for not providing more updates on his recovery.
"I regret not having been able to provide more news and not having appeared in the papers, and I thank my friends of the media for understanding that this has been the best way for me to cope with what has been the most difficult period of my life," he said.
The team confirmed that they will remain "committed" to assisting with Kubica's recovery, and confirmed that they have a test car and crew on standby whenever he feels he can make a return to Formula One action.
Team boss Eric Boullier added that the news had left the team "disappointed", but said that he was happy to see his driver make the "mature decision" of informing the team early.
"Everybody in the team is, of course, very disappointed today," he lamented, "Robert not driving in Australia at the start of next season is not what we were all hoping for.
"However, he has taken a very mature decision, acting in the best interests of Lotus Renault GP."
He added: "As a team and as a family, we remain 100 per cent behind him and we'll help as much as we can. A programme composed of simulator testing, single-seater and F1 track time is awaiting him.
"In the meantime, we will start talking to a few drivers in order to finalise our line-up for next year as soon as possible.
"Robert will take it step by step and will jump back in his racing car when he feels it is the right moment to do so. On behalf of all 520 members of the team, I wish him a speedy recovery."
Renault will now consider their options for the 2012 seat alongside Vitaly Petrov, with Boullier recently suggesting that their reserve driver Romain Grosjean would be his preferred replacement if Kubica failed to return.
Current driver Bruno Senna is also thought to be in the frame, while the team has been linked with potential free agents Adrian Sutil and Rubens Barrichello, should they opt for experience over youth.
Despite the news that Kubica will not make the start of 2012, the team confirmed in the statement that they had begun talks with his management over a new contract for 2013.
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