Poland's Robert Kubica left a Montreal hospital on Monday, hoping to race at Indianapolis this weekend after emerging unscathed from an horrific crash in Sunday's Canadian Formula One Grand Prix.

"As you see I'm quite in good shape and I'm hoping [to be] going to Indianapolis if the doctors will say OK for my driving," Kubica told reporters outside Montreal's Sacre-Coeur Hospital.

"I feel very good. I was very lucky -- big accident, but fortunately, nothing hurt," he added after walking gingerly down the steps of the hospital.

Kubica said he remembers "nearly everything" about the crash.

The accident occurred when the 22-year-old BMW Sauber driver's car made contact with the rear wheels of Jarno Trulli's Toyota on the approach to the hairpin on lap 27 on the Gilles Villeneuve circuit.

His car took off, flying through the air and slamming into a concrete wall before barrel-rolling across the track.

The crash shattered Kubica's car to the extent that his feet could be seen through the sheared off front end of the vehicle.

A BMW spokeswoman said Kubica, who suffered only a sprained right ankle and light concussion, had driven himself away from the hospital.

The Pole will have a mandatory fitness test at Indianapolis on Thursday before being allowed to compete in the US Grand Prix but the team are confident he would be racing.

German test driver Sebastian Vettel is otherwise BMW's official reserve.

The accident highlighted the effectiveness of safety measures implemented in recent years, notably the head and neck safety device (HANS) and reinforced cockpits.

"I think he wouldn't have survived something like this 10 years ago," the Autosport website (www.autosport.com) quoted team boss Mario Theissen as saying.

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