While the focus of the Formula 1 world is on Hockenheim right now, you can’t blame Felipe Massa if he’s looking, just a little, ahead to next week’s race.
In Hungary. Scene of his freak accident last year that nearly ended his career and gave the F1 world a chance to see Luca Badoer in action. Well, something close to action.
Massa includes some quotes about that race in a latest Ferrari post from after the first practice session:
“It will be something special, because of what happened to me last year, so I am really looking forward to going back to Hungary,†said Felipe. “It will be important on a personal level also, as I plan to go back to the hospital in Budapest, where they looked after me immediately after the accident. They took good care of me and I want to say hello to everyone and enjoy a conversation with them. If that sounds emotional, it is, because what happened to me last year was a significant moment in my life, a big thing and in one way very special from a human point of view.â€
If you’ve listened to the Steve Matchett interview at F1B (and if you haven’t, not only am I contractually obligated to encourage you to do so, but it really is good fun and worth the time), you will know that Matchett talks about how Michael Schumacher went around the garage and talked with all the workers during race weekends. It was part of his team-first nature, and it also was a good human gesture on the part of the team’s most famous personality.
It sounds from Massa’s quotes that he learned that lesson from Schumacher. We have definitely started having some fun at Felipe’s expense again (me, maybe more than others at F1B), but that’s in part a testament to how well he’s come back from his injury — he is fair game again.
And we’d like nothing better than to see Massa put together a strong race this weekend and, especially, next weekend.
