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Tomorrow
morning, nearly
two-and-a-half months after his accident during
qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, Felipe Massa will get
back behind the wheel of a
Formula 1 car at Ferrari's
private Fiorano test track. "This is in no
way a proper test session
and looking at the stopwatch
will not be on the agenda,"
read a statement issued by Ferrari today as they
downplay constant media talk of a return for the
Brazilian this season, "there will be plenty of time
for that in 2010, when,
alongside Fernando Alonso,
he will begin development
work of the new single-seater.
It is simply an opportunity
for Felipe to renew his
acquaintance with his
natural environment, namely
the race track. The
Brazilian driver will do a
few laps at the wheel of a
privately owned F2007, run
by staff of Ferrari's F1
Clienti department."
"Tomorrow's
event is significant but in
no way does it signify a
return to competition in the
near future," continue
Ferrari. "In fact, based
on a previously taken
decision and after an
informal medical examination
in Paris a few days ago,
which proved rather
positive, but not enough to
endorse a return to
competition in the next two
months, Felipe and the team
want to proceed gradually
and without any hurry to
recover as well as possible
from the effects of the
accident that happened in
Budapest back on 25th July."
Yesterday Massa wrapped up a series of
neurological and
ophthalmological exams
undertaken by
the FIA at the Pitié
Salpetrière hospital in
Paris which had began on
Friday; convincing the
governing body that he was
ready to get back in an F1
car again was a key part of
the Brazilian driver’s
recovery programme that has
been underway since the accident. The
first day's
exams ended at 7:30pm on
Friday and immediately
Ferrari announced that the
first outcomes were positive:
especially the
ophthalmological exam
which confirmed that Massa, who
arrived with his personal
doctor Dino Altmann, had
recovered the functions of
his left eye by 100 percent.
A second day of tests on
Saturday furthered the
positive news.
"Therefore
talk of a proper return to
Formula 1 can wait until the
start of the 2010 season and
only at that time will the
medical checks be carried
out, as required by the FIA
in order to allow someone
who has been injured to
return to racing," added the
Ferrari statement today.
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