Ferrari has issued another update this afternoon on Felipe Massa (above, in the Ferrari garage in Hungary with Stefano Domenicali and Rob Smedley prior to the accident) and the prognosis will be a relief for motor racing fans, the statement saying that "his condition is improving quickly and consistently" and that he is "more and more awake and reactive".

Ferrari has issued another update this afternoon on Felipe Massa and the prognosis will be a big relief for motor racing fans, the statement saying that "his condition is improving quickly and consistently" and that the F1 world championship runner-up last year is "more and more awake and reactive". The Brazilian Ferrari driver suffered a terrifying incident during qualifying at the Hungaroring on Saturday afternoon when a spring detached itself from the Brawn GP car of Rubens Barrichello and bounced up and hit Massa on the helmet.

"More good news as far as the condition of Felipe Massa, recovering at Budapest's AEK hospital since 25 July after the accident during the Hungarian GP's qualifying, is concerned," read the statement issued this afternoon by Ferrari.

"His condition is improving quickly and constantly. He is more and more awake and reactive," Dino Altman, his personal doctor, said today. "He spoke to several people today, using three different languages, replying always in a coherent way. He's also progressing with his physiotherapy very well. He opened his left eye and confirmed that he can see with it. As far as the near future is concerned we have to be cautious, but I have to say that also today there are very positive signs," Altman added.

This morning Ferrari Team Principal Stefano Domenicali returned to Budapest. "It's good to have comforting news. I spoke to Felipe and it was very emotional for me: he recognised me and I brought him a message from everybody at Ferrari and from the fans all over the world. I told him that his red car will wait for him until he's ready to race again. Now we've got to take it step by step and remain cautious, but it's really incredible to see all of this progress only three days after the accident."

Ferrari's statement added that many messages wishing him well had arrived with Massa and his family over the last hours and several friends had come to Budapest to see him. Today also Jean Todt and Michelle Yeoh, met and spoke to the Brazilian driver, arrived in the Hungarian capital.

Meanwhile it seems that Michel Schumacher has ruled himself out of a sensational F1 cockpit return to stand in for Massa in Valencia. The German driver's long-time manager Willi Weber said he had spoken to Schumacher yesterday and he commented today: "Whoever sits in the car at the next race in Valencia, it will not be Michael Schumacher. I am not 100 percent sure; I am 200 percent sure. The pressure on him would be huge. He would be expected to win, but he has not driven this car." Schumacher, who won the F1 world championship five times with the Italian team, is still employed by Ferrari as a consultant. However his activities are mostly on the road car side, most recently with the new 458 Italia, although he has made sporadic appearances on the pitwall. Now 40 years old, Schumacher hasn't stepped in an F1 car for more than a year and doesn't put in the same gym schedule anymore that he previous did. "When Michael was racing he would get as close to perfection as possible," Weber added. "In this case, it would not be perfection; it would be a gamble - and that's not Michael's."