Ferrari F1 driver Felipe Massa, shown above with his wife Rafaela (one can scarcely imagine what has caught the attention of the fellow walking behind in the James Hunt t-shirt) has announced that he's focusing on making his return at his home Grand Prix in São Paulo on October 18th. He's recovering at home following his crash in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, having suffered a fractured skull and injuries to his left eye. The July 25th accident was the result of a spring from Rubens Barrichello's car that came loose and struck Massa's helmet while travelling at more than 160 mph. Initially his injuries were feared to be life threatening and there was concern for his vision as well.
He will have to undergo a medical examination from FIA doctors and eye specialists before being allowed to return, but will also face another hurdle; the same regulations prohibiting testing that hindered Jaime Alguersuari, Michael Schumacher, and now Romain Grosjean (Renault's replacement for Nelson Piquet) will assumedly prevent Massa from getting any time in the car (other than straight line testing) before the light goes green for the first practice session in Brazil. Ferrari will no doubt petition the FIA for an exception in the interest of safety, the same as they did for Michael Shumacher's return, a petition which was famously denied by the Williams and Red Bull teams. It will be interesting to see other team's opinion in what is, after all, a matter of safety as opposed to an attempt to gain any competitive advantage.
Either way, the FIA would do well to change the rules prohibiting testing to allow provisions for drivers returning from injury, extended absence, or ones recently granted a Super License, to allow them to get some time in an F1 car before showing up to a Grand Prix weekend.
Forza Felipe!
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