08.10.2009 MASSA SET TO TEST AN F1 CAR NEXT MONDAY

FELIPE MASSA

Its been a busy week for Felipe Massa who since his arrival in Maranello back from Brazil has spent two days in the simulator as he gears up to get behind the wheel of an F1 car for the first time since his crash which could come as soon as next Monday.

FELIPE MASSA

After a couple of days in a kart last week in Granja Viana, Brazil (above), on Tuesday Felipe Massa made a further step ahead getting back behind the wheel, although the wheel was the one of a simulator.

It has been a very busy week so far for Felipe Massa who since his arrival in Maranello back from his home in Brazil has spent two days in the simulator as he gears up to get behind the wheel of an F1 car for the first time since his crash which could come as soon as next Monday.

The Brazilian driver is proceeding at full pace with his intensive recovery programme following his accident in Budapest during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 25. After a couple of days in a kart last week in Granja Viana (Brazil), on Tuesday he made a further step ahead getting back behind the wheel, although the wheel was the one of a simulator. Massa spent around six hours in Modena, mainly dedicating himself to regaining confidence with the commands of a single-seater. “We worked very well, without any problems, Massa said at the end of the day. “The simulator uses a A1GP single-seater, so it’s not exactly like Formula 1, but pretty close. I drove on the track in Barcelona to avoid creating an even bigger test atmosphere.”

Later on Massa came back to Maranello: first he went to the gym and then to the computer, answering questions of the numerous fans, who sent their emails and wrote in the forum of Ferrari’s website. “I miss Formula 1 a lot: it’s my passion more than my job. It was hard to stay in front of the TV and watching the team, also because I had to get up very early because of the different time-zones,” Felipe answered jokingly to ‘maranellolover’.

“I’ve been always in contact with Domenicali and with the boy to keep me updated about what was happening on the track and at home as far as the next year is concerned.” ‘Misa-schumimaniac’ asked Felipe if he noticed any difference to the past driving a kart and today with the simulator. “No difference at all. I had lots of fun in Granja Viana and today’s work was more than anything else a way to get back in contact with a car. Obviously I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel of a real single-seater.”

Yesterday saw a second day for Massa testing with the simulator in Modena during his recovery programme. The Brazilian driver started his day with a visit at the Gestione Sportiva, where he received a hearty welcome, before leaving for Modena to race on the virtual track, assisted by his track engineer Rob Smedley and performance engineer Giuliano Salvi. Massa drove again on the track of Barcelona and moved than to his preferred track, Interlagos, where he already won two races in his career.

Today Massa will be again in Maranello, where he will greet staff from more parts of the GeS before he will chat with the members of the Ferrari.com community as of 12pm. Tomorrow (Friday) will see the Brazilian flying to Paris for check-ups under the eyes of the FIA, before he comes back to Italy. Early next week, maybe already on Monday, say Ferrari, Massa will finally get back on the track in a real Formula 1 single-seater, a F2007 fitted with Bridgestone tyres as used in the GP2 series.

ItaliaspeedTV: Felipe Massa arrives back at Maranello
 

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