Felipe Massa visited Professor Stephen Olvey, Head of the Jackson Memorial Hospital Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit, yesterday for a series of tests. The result were positive and has shed some light on the hoped return of the Brazilian this year. It appears that may not happena nd that a return in 2010 is more likely. Commenting on Ferrari’s web site:
“I’m very happy about the results,†Felipe told the official Ferrari website before boarding the plane back to Sao Paulo. “After the small surgery in the next days I can finally start to go to the gym to get back into shape and drive some tests in karts. On the track with a Formula 1 single-seater? Let’s take it step by step: at the moment I’m concentrating on taking up physical activities, which is a great step forward.â€
I think this is very good news and as we mentioned on Podcast #122; the silly season is all hinging on what Ferrari does. They have a difficult position in that if the rumors are true about Fernando Alonso taking Kimi Raikkonen’s place at Ferrari; this was all put on hold as Ferrari needed assurance that Massa would return to the sport and that there would be no lasting ocular or mental damage.
To those ends, it also will allow them to make the decision on just who they would like to approach to fill his seat for the remaining races should it not be the current stand-in Luca Badoer.
Ultimately this is good news for Massa. We, at F1B, are very happy that the news is good and prognosis is set for a full recovery.
