Dave wrote:That Massa incident was scary as hell. Sounds like he has a concussion, 'skull damage', and a cut over his eye but at least was admitted to the hospital in stable condition. He's going to undergo surgery; hope it goes well and Felipe gets on the road to recovery quickly.
Very. The in-car video Speed channel showed of the incident was scary as hell, as you could see how big the apparent spring that hit him was, how incomprehensibly it rose off the ground way off in front of him, and especially how Massa just slumped over immediately and his foot came limp off the throttle upon impact. Luckily he seemed to awaken a bit in time to apply some brake, but wow, he was at the mercy of physics because he was out. It was amazing also how intact the nose of the car was, despite the wheels being sheared off completely.
So here's hoping he'll be alright. I didn't know about the skull fracture and surgery. Clearly he won't be driving for a while, so this 3 week break comes at the right time for him. Good luck, Felipe.
AP has reported that Massa is in "life-threatening, serious but stable" condition. The story also said doctors will reawaken him tomorrow, so I'm thinking he is in a medically induced coma to reduce brain swelling.
Not good. I pray the dude is OK to live; forget about driving.
I don't see how it's possible he will be back in the car this season. No way he could get medically cleared to drive after suffering a skull fracture and cranial surgery, I would think.
Who is Ferrari's No. 3 driver? Is graybeard Badoer still the tester? Or is it Marc Gene?
Take care,
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
Hate to speculate while Massa recovers, but could Ferrari call on the seven-time World Champion to drive the rest of the year to score as many Constructors' points as possible?
Stranger things have happened.
Take care,
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
I was thinking the same thing PK while speculating about Alonso. The only thing that kills any thought of a Schumacher return is that the F60 is not a top running car and he doesn't have Brawn and Todt working their magic behind the pitwall.
Rodster wrote:I was thinking the same thing PK while speculating about Alonso. The only thing that kills any thought of a Schumacher return is that the F60 is not a top running car and he doesn't have Brawn and Todt working their magic behind the pitwall.
But wouldn't that be the exact challenge Schuey craves? It's no secret he did not want to retire. Montezemolo forced him out.
Plus when Schumacher joined the Scuderia in 1996, he drove a John Barnard-designed sh*tbox for a team that was in chaos. The circumstances of Ferrari in 2009 aren't quite that bad, but jumping into the F60 would provide him a chance to show the world that he still has it at age 40.
I only think he would finish the season. A final cameo appearance to enhance his legacy as one of the all-time greats.
Take care,
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
Rodster wrote:I was thinking the same thing PK while speculating about Alonso. The only thing that kills any thought of a Schumacher return is that the F60 is not a top running car and he doesn't have Brawn and Todt working their magic behind the pitwall.
But wouldn't that be the exact challenge Schuey craves? It's no secret he did not want to retire. Montezemolo forced him out.
Plus when Schumacher joined the Scuderia in 1996, he drove a John Barnard-designed sh*tbox for a team that was in chaos. The circumstances of Ferrari in 2009 aren't quite that bad, but jumping into the F60 would provide him a chance to show the world that he still has it at age 40.
I only think he would finish the season. A final cameo appearance to enhance his legacy as one of the all-time greats.
Take care,
PK
I had mentioned that way back that he and Montezomolo looked rather uncomfortable when he announced his retirement at the USGP. Schuey is just cashing in his vacation check so he can go play. I seriously doubt and would be shocked if he is somehow linked to Ferrari after his contract expires.
I like Stefano Domenicali but the jury is still out whether or not he has the ability to run Ferrari at the top of their game like Todt and Brawn previously did. Michael likes to surround and trust his own people and I don't think Domenicali fits that mold. That's why I just don't see Michael driving the F60 this year.
Good thing my boy Adam has yet to read this but it'll be nice to see an impressive win from Hammy today. He's on course for a stunning victory. Nice to see a McLaren, Ferrari 1-2. Just like the good 'ol days right mate !
It's official, Lewis wins for a McLaren, Ferrari 1-2 but Kimi's antics are being investigated by the stewards after the race. But at least Hamilton scores a brilliant win for McLaren.
Can't wait to see Ferrari win won as well this season.
Speculation as to who will replace the recovering Felipe Massa if he needs to sit out future races has already begun. The wildest rumour so far is that his friend Michael Schumacher, who won five world championships with Maranello-based Ferrari until his retirement in 2006, is a candidate.
"I heard that on Saturday evening," his manager Willi Weber told the SID news agency in Budapest. "That's only speculation and I don't see it happening.
"Ferrari already has two very good spare drivers who actually do little else than wait for an opportunity to go into the cockpit if one becomes free," Weber said.
Hamilton must feel a bit relieved, after a bit of a drought for him. Here's hoping that Massa continues to improve as the surgery was succesful but he's still listed as 'life threatening' despite his stable condition.
It was great to see Lewis win today just from the standpoint of making the season more interesting. He drove a strong race, as did Kimi. I sure didn't see the banning of Renault for Valencia coming. What a kick in the nuts to Alonso now that he cannot race in front of his countrymen. I think I heard that Renault will appeal, so maybe something will be worked out.
As for Michael filling in for Massa, there is no way in hell. I cannot imagine he would want to tarnish his legacy by coming in after such a long layoff and drive a car that is not among the top few strongest in the field. I wouldn't totally rule out Michael coming back to F1 at some point in he future, but it won't happen this year with Ferrari.
Great to see Lewis and Kimi on the top two steps of the podium again.
Like Paul said, Schumacher drove a crap car in 1996 to 3rd in the championship including three opportunistic wins. Irvine could only manage 10th place in that car. I don't think there's any problem with Schumacher racing in F1. I just don't imagine him coming out of retirement and I don't imagine Kimi wanting him for a teammate.
I'm hoping Massa recovers quickly. Poor guy didn't deserve such bad luck. Then again, it could have been worse.
Regarding the Brickyard 400, how the heck did Montoya mess up that race? Was he too eager to get out of the pits?
Smurfy wrote:
Regarding the Brickyard 400, how the heck did Montoya mess up that race? Was he too eager to get out of the pits?
"However when Montoya pitted for the last time he was called back in for being too fast on pit entry. Officials reported him at 60.06 mph and 60.11 on sections two and four of the eight into which pitroad is divided for timing purposes. The speed limit is set at 55 mph with a 4.99 mph tolerance which Montoya exceeded.
The Colombian was furious over the issue while speaking to his team on the radio afterwards, as he was left in disbelief when handed the penalty. He stated that the lights on his dash showed he was within his referenced rpm limits."
"Doctors say it is too early to judge whether Felipe Massa will race again after it was revealed on Monday that the Brazilian suffered damage to his left eye in his Hungarian Grand Prix crash. Local media quoted the hospital's professor Robert Veres from Budapest as saying that the eye injury could be enough to end Massa's F1 career."
"Doctors say it is too early to judge whether Felipe Massa will race again after it was revealed on Monday that the Brazilian suffered damage to his left eye in his Hungarian Grand Prix crash. Local media quoted the hospital's professor Robert Veres from Budapest as saying that the eye injury could be enough to end Massa's F1 career."
Man, that sucks. I've really grown to like Massa in the last two years, especially the dignified, sportsmanlike way he handled the heartbreak of losing the title last year at Brazil.
Take care,
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
"Felipe Massa's condition is continuing to improve as doctors at the AEK Hospital in Hungary, where the Brazilian driver is being treated, denied earlier reports of eye damage and instead suggested he could make a full recovery.
"During the CT-scan we performed we could ascertain that there was an improvement in his condition. We stopped sedation and after that Felipe Massa became capable of making contact."
"So in the afternoon we stopped the artificial ventilation of Felipe. As we speak he is sleepy, but he gives adequate answers to the questions we ask him, and he can move his arms and legs spontaneously."
Zsiros denied the earlier reports that Massa had injured his left eye, which led to speculation about his future participation in Formula 1.
Rodster wrote:Zsiros denied the earlier reports that Massa had injured his left eye, which led to speculation about his future participation in Formula 1.
I have no understanding of how the Hungarian media operate, and still less idea of how their hospitals work, but it seems to me that while the poor bloke is laid up in intensive care, it'd only be decent to report stories that are known to be the truth and tell those speculating on his vision, his brain and how close to death he was to just f*ck right off. Surely to God a half-arsed update on Felipe's condition can't be considered that much of a scoop.
Wishful thinking, I know, and it's nothing new - I'm reminded of the German newspaper that ran a story along the lines of "Lauda: How Can He Live Without A Face?" while Niki was recovering from his Nurburgring accident, speculating on how he'd ever be able to eat, smell and interact with people without having them run away...
Felipe Massa's recovery is going so well that he could walk out of hospital by the end of next week, his doctor has said.
On the back of further encouraging signs about Massa's condition following the fractured skull he suffered in his qualifying accident for the Hungarian Grand Prix, doctors are now hopeful that he may be able to leave the AEK Hospital in Budapest soon.
That's great news about Felipe. How great would it be to see him back in F1 next year? I am not much of a Ferrari fan, but it's hard to root against a driver like Felipe. He has always struck me as a gentleman on and off the track. It sucks that something so freakish can possibly end the career of a great driver.
I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see Schumacher in the car at Spa and Monza, especially Monza. It's the Tifosi's home track, it's the track where Schuey was forced to announce his retirement against his will.
The symbolism would be amazing.
As for those who say Michael wouldn't want to tarnish his legacy by climbing into this year's Ferrari, I think the opposite is true. He agreed to come to Ferrari in 1996 when Barnard's car was a total sh*tbox, much worse than this year's car. The man craves challenges and has a work ethic that still is unmatched by anyone in F1 today.
This is the perfect challenge, the perfect "f*ck you" to di Montezemolo while still helping his beloved Ferrari team.
Take care,
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
pk500 wrote:This is the perfect challenge, the perfect "f*ck you" to di Montezemolo while still helping his beloved Ferrari team.
Take care,
PK
I don't see how as Luca is Ferrari's Godfather. He would no doubt have to sign off on the decision. The more probable scenario is bringing in Fernando for Valencia with the blessings of Flavio if the rumor is true he's driving for Ferrari next year. There are other drivers Ferrari could call up to fill in at or after Valencia. Another driver no one has mentioned is Del la Rosa who may go on loan from McLaren.
I still don't see Michael driving the F60 this year.
"BMW's future in Formula 1 is in serious doubt amid mounting speculation that the German car manufacturer will announce its withdrawal from the sport at the end of this season, on Wednesday.
An emergency press conference has been called at BMW's headquarters in Munich, where it is suggested that the car company may reveal that it has decided to end its involvement in F1."
But I guess rules are rules.
F1 braced for BMW exit announcement