Having visited Robert Kubica in Italy as he continues his recovery process, Renault team boss Eric Boullier reveals he is delighted with the Pole's progress.

"Robert has made another step forward in his rehabilitation process and doctors are pleasantly surprised by the way in which his condition is improving", he said. "Now, it is a matter of time and even if patience isn't Robert's first quality, he is fully aware that rehabilitation could be quite a long process.

"We spoke about the latest developments of the car and of the team, and he was also interested to hear more on the details of the R31, tyres and strategies.2 the Frenchman continued. "Robert is still very much involved, keeping in touch with his engineers, and we have been keeping him informed of every important decision the team has taken. He may not be with us all of the time this year, but he's very much a part of the Lotus Renault GP family."

The popular Pole now enters the second phase of what will be a long recovery process, and which will involve heavy rehabilitation aimed at restoring functionality. Further operations are planned to remove the unavoidable adhesions that are affecting the functionality of his forearm and elbow muscles but this is considered routine practice. The first was carried out today and everything went according to plan.