Polish F1 motorsport driver Robert Kubica, who had been out of motor racing since his horrific accident in February 2011, made a big come-back to competition Sunday by winning the first stage of the Ronde Gomitolo di Lana Rally in Italy.

Kubica has been out of action since he was involved in a serious crash that caused his right forearm to be partially severed while competing on the Ronde di Andorra Rally.

At the Ronde Gomitolo di Lana, the Polish racer drove a Subaru Impreza WRCwhile his pilot was Italian Giuliano Manfredi.

"Being here is already a good step, but I would have preferred to be somewhere else," Kubica said of his participation in the Sunday event.

"The aim remains to return to Formula One and the next few months will tell me whether I can do it next year already or will have to wait until 2014."