Robert Kubica admits he misses Formula 1 dearly, but says there is little chance of him returning to the sport in the near future.
The former BMW Sauber and Renault driver's career was dealt a severe blow in 2011 when he was seriously injured in a crash at the Ronde di Andora rally, partially severing his right forearm.
The rehabilitation process has been a long and arduous one, and while he has been able to return to racing in some form, F1 is still a bridge too far.
For a man who thrives on the competitive racing atmosphere, it's been a bitter pill to swallow.
"I find it difficult to watch F1 races," he told the Daily Express. "I miss racing, that is the biggest problem. After the race, when I am at home, I think I am living a boring and monotonous life. When I am driving, thanks to concentrating, the limitations are not really affecting me a lot. I am grateful for what I have.
"You cannot get out of life everything you want. When I am driving race cars it is for sure much better than it was six months ago and it is very close to what I was doing before the accident. So it is very good.
"If I can move my arm again [freely], there is a chance that I will return. But until that happens, we'll have to see. There's no chance of me coming back to Formula One soon."
Kubica's injuries have mended enough to allow him to compete in other forms of motorsport, but the physical demands of F1 still makes returning to the pinnacle of the sport an impossibility.
"The strength, the power in the arm is not as good as it was, but if this was the only problem then two months of treatment and that would be gone," said Kubica. "Unfortunately, there are bigger problems which you need to concentrate on solving than the power.
"I have limited functionality of the hand and the fingers but this is something I am convinced will come back slowly because the nerves need a lot of time.
"There has been slow progress this year. That is life. I will not gain anything by being frustrated. It is very simple. There is no other option than to keep pushing, keep working."
