Robert Kubica will "recover completely" from his serious injuries, manager Daniele Morelli insists.
Renault team owner Gerard Lopez said before Monaco last weekend that the Pole will definitely not be returning in 2011, but that he might appear in a Friday practice session.
Morelli hit back, insisting that Fridays are for "rookies". According to some reports, the exchange indicates that if and when the 26-year-old does return to F1, it is unlikely to be in a black and gold-coloured car.
Morelli also denied Lopez’s claim that Kubica might never be fit enough to return to F1.
"He is getting better all of the time. His condition has improved significantly," the Italian told Finland’s Turun Sanomat.
"We should be finalising the rehabilitation plans in August and with the right training, the physical weaknesses will have been treated.”
"For the future we are positive, the specialists believe that Robert will recover completely, and his enthusiasm for racing is the same as before.”
"He is closely following F1 as well as rallies," added Morelli.