Felipe Massa Injury - Fisichella to race to the end of 2009

[Ali]

I think at least 10000 racing drivers worldwide would drive withput payment, if Ferrari were going to ask them

I can even pay them

[phil1993]

Doctors say Massa will race again...

...and maybe even at Valencia

Dino Altmann, Felipe Massa's personal doctor, is certain that Felipe Massa will be able to race again.

Altmann said that the trauma suffered by the Brazilian was not as bad as first thought, and that his condition has improved rapidly.

"I have no doubt Felipe will race again," he told Gazzetta dello Sport. "I'm sure of that.

"The situation is still delicate, but I believe his life is not in danger anymore. From the beginning I felt that the trauma wasn't as extended as it was believed, but the improvements of the last hours have gone beyond our wildest expectations."

Altmann added that fears that Massa had suffered damage to his left eye, which was opened for the first time since the accident yesterday, proved to be unjustified.

"Stimulated by the physiotherapist, he showed he knows left from right and he has full awareness of distance and depth," said Atlmann. "And his memory loss regards a short time.

"His eye has been opened, with care because it is still swollen, and he has said he can see. His vision has not weakened.

"He gave appropriate answers in three languages: Portuguese, Italian, and English. That means that the brain's cognitive area is fine."

Ferrari has confirmed that Massa will be moved out of intensive care later today, and team principal Stefano Domenicali has said that his rate of recovery is impressive.

"It's a fantastic improvement," Domenicali told the newspaper. "Only three days after the crash he's made encouraging progress.

"He recognized me, I greeted him and I brought him all the team's and the fans' warmth and support. He replied to me in Italian, after he had spoken to his family in Portuguese. He told me he can't remember anything that had happened: that's a good thing."

Domenicali added that Massa's place at Ferrari will be kept open for him when he is fit enough to return.

"The data is encouraging, but in these situations it's better to be prudent and take one step at a time," he said. "We want him to recover as soon as possible.

"I confirmed to him that we are looking forward to his return soon, that the car is his, and that as soon as he's ready he'll be back with us."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77411

[Ali]

Yay!

Valencia may be a bit optimistic but that's very encouraging for him to be able to race again in the near future, not to mention he will be alive and healthy.

[hannibal_rising]

Yay!

Valencia may be a bit optimistic but that's very encouraging for him to be able to race again in the near future, not to mention he will be alive and healthy.

One thing is talking when you are in bed and another is to race at 300 km/h... I don't think he will return this year.

And about the replacement...
* Good drivers (Schumacher/Villeneuve) have not driven for too much time to be a replacement. Bourdais is not good, but at least is ready, and if Piquet is fired, same situation.
* Alonso won't be his replacement. Briatore for sure is going to keep him till the last race (Alonso is the only Renault's chance to score points).
* The rest of possible candidates are just a question mark. Probably they would do a job as Bourdais and no more...

Among the real possibilities, no one gives them the chance of having a pilot performing as Felipe... Good drivers are already driving...

[phil1993]

I think Felipe will target a return at Interlagos. No way in hell does he wanna miss that

[shailf1]

well i think if he will return to motorsport at all he will return this year...
as the doctors sad if he can walk in 10 days then i dont see how he cant drive in 20 days..

if history were to repeat itself, what are the chances that Massa and Ferrari will pull off a repeat of season 2000? and then the next 4 championships?

[andrebires]

Felipe is walking around the bed and will leave the ICU in wednesday.

http://globoesporte.globo.com/Esportes/ ... EDICO.html

[shailf1]

Dr dino Altmann said that they took the "band-aid" away today to check on his eye, as papa massa had said before it looks as if he was punched by a boxing heavyweight champion, BUT it wasn't only a matter of actually checking the cut and the eye, it was a more detailed eyesight test, he said they used letters and also tested the range of his eyesight, and he said all the tests came back in the best possible way, very satisfatory.

Now wether or not he can see completely right, we can guess he can't for now for obvious reasons, it's just not humanly possible, but with the tests results they can already tell that his eyesight will be undemaged.

His family alot more upbeat, as is everyone who leaves the hospital, nobody talks about recovering in terms of racing a ferrari f1 again, but i think we could even start a bet here how long will it before massa is playing his usual football games?

A very nice gesture from his close friends, the guys he hangs out with, Lucas di Grassi had phoned their friend Popo bueno to flight to budapest because de grassi was going to leave today for work, and so popo now is the bedside buddy and will be until at least next wednesday when he has to return to brasil for his stockcar race, by then lucas and popo said they will have another replacement to make sure at all times there is at least one of his "gang" there.

Di Grassi and Bueno mentioned that in a couple weeks after massa is home is going to come a very important phase of felipe's reahabilitation, he will need as much people to be talking to him and giving him stimulus on conversations and such at all times, for now he remains asleep must of the time.

Felipe Massa has no memory of his Hungarian GP qualifying crash but he has not forgotten his appetite, the Brazilian's father Luiz Antonio has revealed.

As the 28-year-old Ferrari driver's previously life-threatening condition continues to steadily improve, Massa's father told his local newspaper Folha de S.Paulo that Felipe this week asked for a proper meal.

He said Massa is now improving almost by the hour, but that doctors are not yet ready to allow him to return to solid foods.

Felipe's first words to doctors and family members, including his close brother Eduardo, were along the lines of "why am I in hospital? What happened to me?", indicating he has no memory of being struck in the helmet by a steel damper spring at the nearby Hungaroring last Saturday.


Memory loss aside, however, there are no signs of any brain damage whatsoever, as he is lucidly answering questions in Portuguese, English and Italian.

Feared damage to his left eye, meanwhile, has proved unfounded, after Massa opened his bruised eyelid on Tuesday and was able to see.

The Sao Paulo newspaper insists it is still possible Massa will transfer from Hungary to the Paris hospital Pitie-Salpetriere, perhaps next Thursday.

Source: GMM

[shailf1]

Raikkonen: "Felipe, we’re waiting for you!"

First of all I want to wish Felipe well again. He had an incredible accident on last Saturday and I think that he was on everybody’s mind in the Scuderia Ferrari and the drivers on the grid. I know that his condition is improving constantly and I’m glad to hear that. I really hope that he’ll be alright soon and get back on the track. It was an absurd accident and the Team had some very difficult moments, because in the beginning we didn’t know why Felipe ran off the track at this point. But then a driver has to blind out certain things once he’s on the track.

The second place on Sunday was a good result for the Scuderia, especially under these circumstances. We’ve made some progress, there’s not doubt. The high temperatures helped our car and I could press hard on the soft and on the hard compound. We managed to get a place on the podium, but we couldn’t really fight for victory. It’s strange how it always goes well on certain tracks and some are completely the opposite: in Germany things go always wrong for me, but in Hungary I drove on the podium again, for the fifth time.

With these eight points we gained here we’re now on the third place in the Constructors’ Championship. That’s where we want to stay, because this is the goal we set for ourselves for the second half of the season. Obviously we’re trying to gain another place on the podium, but we know that it’s difficult, because the competition at the top is really hard. I won’t give up also because I would like to win at least one race this year.

Now I can’t wait to race at the Finland Rally, although I’m going there to have fun. We had some very good tests with my Fiat Grande Punto Abarth S2000 and we’re ready for racing. I’ve got great experience in Formula 1 but not in rally driving, although I know a bit what it’s about. Getting used to a new track in Formula 1 is quite easy, but in a rally the stages always change. After this experience I’ll relax with my family and my friends. It’s high summer in Finland and it’s good to chill out a bit before we start with the preparations for the European GP at Valencia.
__________________

[sejtur]

Edit: nice column from Kimi too!

[phil1993]

I see what Kimi means about his luck in Germany

Hockenheim:

2001 - Driveshaft
2002 - Spun off
2003 - Accident
2004 - Rear Wing failure
2005 - Hydraulics
2006 - 3rd
2008 - 6th

Nurburgring

2001 - 10th
2002 - 3rd
2003 - Engine
2004 - Engine
2005 - Epic wheel failure
2006 - 4th
2007 - Hydraulics
2009 - Radiator

Germany hates Kimi

[andrebires]

Felipe leaver UCI and asks the doctors if he can run the next race.

http://globoesporte.globo.com/Esportes/ ... MO+GP.html

[Ali]

Edit: nice column from Kimi too!

Kimi was busy on testing. I don't think it was him who actually wrote this but Ferrari's press officer likely

[Ali]

Felipe leaver UCI and asks the doctors if he can run the next race.

http://globoesporte.globo.com/Esportes/ ... MO+GP.html

Thanks mate

Rough translation until mp4/4#12 will do a better one

Was to evaluate some of Dino Altmann, medical director of the Grand Prix, which is in Budapest at the request of the family of Felipe Massa to monitor the recovery of the pilot. He said on Tuesday that the Brazilian had medical conditions to leave the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and that is what is happening this Wednesday.

Mass is being transferred to a room in the neurological ward of the Military Hospital of Hungarian capital. On the morning of the fourth, an examination of MRI already showed a decrease in brain edema and swelling in the left eye is also smaller. The pilot has his first steps around the bed and the second Altmann, spoke for longer than expected for someone who has suffered such an injury.

[dazmoffman]

fantastic news im so glad it's turning out ok.