Doctors reveal Massa left eye damaged

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Courtesy of Autosport

By Jonathan Noble    Monday, July 27th 2009, 13:45 GMT

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.

Massa is still in hospital recovering from a skull fracture and concussion after he was hit in the face by a spring from Rubens Barrichello's car.

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.

"He has suffered some damage to the eye," said Veres. "We don't know whether he'll be able to race again."

The AEK hospital in Budapest is scheduled to hold a press conference this evening to update the media on Massa's injuries.

The spring struck Massa just above his left eye, smashing his helmet and fracturing his skull.

Doctors also confirmed on Monday that the operation that was conducted on Saturday afternoon saved Massa's life.

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo visited Massa in hospital on Monday.

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Massa awake and progressing well

Felipe Massa has been taken out of an artificially-induced coma as his recovery continues, doctors told reporters in Budapest on Monday evening. The injured Ferrari driver has also been able to speak with family and medical staff.

"His condition has improved significantly over the last 24 hours and he remains stable," Lajos Zsiros, chief surgeon of the Hungarian defence forces told a press conference. "We have ended sedation and taken him off the respirator.?

Massa suffered a fractured skull during Saturday?s qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, after being hit by a spring from another car. He was flown from the Hungaroring circuit to the AEK military hospital where he underwent emergency surgery.

"He is still sleepy, but has been able to reply to questions and has been able to move his limbs adequately," continued Zsiros, who went on to explain that it was likely to be at least a week before doctors could be sure that Massa has avoided lasting injury, though he stressed that a full recovery was possible.

Responding to reports of potential damage to Massa?s left eye, Zsiros said it was too soon to confirm or deny this as the Brazilian is not yet able to open the eye sufficiently to allow for his vision to be examined. This should change over the next few days.

Massa will remain in intensive care, though doctors have no plans for further sedation and his condition is expected to continue to improve. His wife, his parents, his brother and his friend and manager Nicolas Todt will spend another night at the hospital, where they will meet Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali on Tuesday.

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Massa could leave hospital in 10 days

By Jonathan Noble    Tuesday, July 28th 2009, 10:36 GMT

Felipe MassaFelipe 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.

Peter Bazso, the medical director of the hospital, told Hungarian TV channel M1 on Tuesday: "My expectation is that he would walk out of the hospital on his own. If his recovery continues at this pace, I wouldn't rule out that he could leave within 10 days."

Massa has been brought out of an induced coma and has now been taken off a respirator

"He's spending more and more time awake, talking to family and friends," Bazso said.

Massa's wife, parents, brother and manager Nicolas Todt have remained in hospital with him, and Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali is due to visit him on Tuesday.

However, while it remains uncertain about the extent of any eye injury that Massa may have suffered, Bazso has also said that Massa's condition must still be monitored closely.

"I would like to point out that although he's recovering, this is not the end of the story, he is still in a life-threatening condition," Bazso said. "Of course, the danger is decreasing by the day."

Massa's injuries were caused when he was struck on the helmet by a flying spring that had come off the back of Rubens Barrichello's Brawn GP car.

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Manager rules out Schumacher return

By Jonathan Noble and Michele Lostia    Tuesday, July 28th 2009, 12:50 GMT

Michael Schumacher's manager Willi Weber has moved quickly to deny speculation that the German driver could make a shock return to Formula 1.

With Ferrari set to begin its hunt for a temporary replacement for the injured Felipe Massa, Schumacher's name has been mentioned because of his long-standing links to the Italian team.

The rumours intensified after his spokeswoman said that he would 'consider' any offer to drive the car if the team approached him.

However, following meetings between Schumacher and Weber at the seven-time world champion's Geneva home on Monday, talk of the German making a racing comeback has been dismissed.

Weber told The Daily Mail: "Whoever sits in the car at the next race in Valencia, it will not be Michael Schumacher. I am not 100 per cent sure; I am 200 per cent sure.

"The pressure on him would be huge. He would be expected to win, but he has not driven this car. When Michael was racing he would get as close to perfection as possible. In this case, it would not be perfection; it would be a gamble - and that's not Michael's style."

The news about Schumacher comes on the back of encouraging progress with Massa's recovery at the AEK Hospital in Budapest.

The Brazilian's personal doctor Dino Altman said on Tuesday that he was hopeful Massa's eye had not suffered any damage in the crash - as had been initially feared.

"Felipe has opened his left eye and he can see," Altmann told ANSA. "There's no apparent damage. The eye is morphologically healthy."

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali visited Massa in hospital on Tuesday and was upbeat about how the driver was.

"He has recognised me and told me he can't remember anything," he said. "Felipe is making encouraging progress so we look forward to his return soon. The future? We'll try to understand how he reacts, then we'll take our decisions."

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Doctors say Massa will race again

By Edd Straw and Michele Lostia    Wednesday, July 29th 2009, 12:17 GMT

Felipe Massa, Silverstone, 2009Dino Altmann, Felipe Massa's personal doctor, is certain that Felipe Massa will be able to race again.

Altmann said that the trauma suffered by the Brazilian was not as bad as first thought, and that his condition has improved rapidly.

"I have no doubt Felipe will race again," he told Gazzetta dello Sport. "I'm sure of that.

"The situation is still delicate, but I believe his life is not in danger anymore. From the beginning I felt that the trauma wasn't as extended as it was believed, but the improvements of the last hours have gone beyond our wildest expectations."

Altmann added that fears that Massa had suffered damage to his left eye, which was opened for the first time since the accident yesterday, proved to be unjustified.

"Stimulated by the physiotherapist, he showed he knows left from right and he has full awareness of distance and depth," said Atlmann. "And his memory loss regards a short time.

"His eye has been opened, with care because it is still swollen, and he has said he can see. His vision has not weakened.

"He gave appropriate answers in three languages: Portuguese, Italian, and English. That means that the brain's cognitive area is fine."

Ferrari has confirmed that Massa will be moved out of intensive care later today, and team principal Stefano Domenicali has said that his rate of recovery is impressive.

"It's a fantastic improvement," Domenicali told the newspaper. "Only three days after the crash he's made encouraging progress.

"He recognised me, I greeted him and I brought him all the team's and the fans' warmth and support. He replied to me in Italian, after he had spoken to his family in Portuguese. He told me he can't remember anything that had happened: that's a good thing."

Domenicali added that Massa's place at Ferrari will be kept open for him when he is fit enough to return.

"The data is encouraging, but in these situations it's better to be prudent and take one step at a time," he said. "We want him to recover as soon as possible.

"I confirmed to him that we are looking forward to his return soon, that the car is his, and that as soon as he's ready he'll be back with us."

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Doctor: Massa will leave hospital soon

By Michele Lostia and Pablo Elizalde    Thursday, July 30th 2009, 12:53 GMT

Felipe MassaFelipe Massa's personal doctor is confident the Brazilian driver will be able to leave hospital in less than ten days thanks to the progress he is making.

Further tests performed yesterday showed that the edema Massa had is now disappearing, and doctor Dino Altman continues to be upbeat about the Ferrari driver's progress.

"The edema involved only a tiny part of the brain. There's nothing to worry about, and no further operations are forecast. No permanent damage," Altman told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"He speaks normally, very well and more than before. He remembers everything starting from Saturday, except for the crash of which he can't remember anything. He knows what day is today, and he also knows that for two or three days he wasn't conscious.

"The way things are going, he will be able to leave even before ten days have gone by."

Massa was able to take his first steps yesterday, when he left the intensive care unit.

The doctor said Massa asked who won the Hungarian Grand Prix and that he remembered his qualifying position before his accident.

The Brazilian will be replaced by seven-time champion Michael Schumacher at the European Grand Prix next month.

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Massa already thinking of racing again

By Peter Farkas    Thursday, July 30th 2009, 14:03 GMT

Felipe Massa, Silverstone, 2009Felipe Massa is already thinking about racing again, and would be happy to get back into his Ferrari in the next race in Valencia, according to his personal doctor.

Although he joked Massa was "looking like a boxer", Dino Altman told journalists in front of the AEK hospital in Budapest on Thursday that the condition of the Brazilian driver, who suffered a serious accident during the qualifying session of the Hungarian Grand Prix was still getting better all the time.

"Felipe continues to improve. He is eating, he was walking around the room, he took a shower in the morning, like a normal person. So that's good news," Altman, Chief Medical Officer of the Brazilian Grand Prix, said.

"No problem with his eyes, as I've told you before, it's okay.

"He is eating normal food. He ate chicken, today in the morning he had a normal breakfast, some yogurt with nutritional complements, bread, cheese, tomato, and he also had a banana."

Altman said Massa didn't need any special treatments for his rehabilitation process from now on, as he only had to get stronger. He refused to give a specific timeframe for the Brazilian to go racing again, although he stressed he was "sure" Massa would eventually make it back onto the grid.

"It's the only thing he is thinking about, it's his fixed idea. He has no fears at all," Altman said. "He thinks he would be able to race in Valencia."

Reacting to the news that seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher would take his seat in the Ferrari while he was not able to drive again, Massa reportedly joked: "We have to see if I will let him drive!"

"He was joking with his friends and his brother," Altman revealed. "He was telling us that he heard about the Schumacher news, and he told us: 'Let's see if I let him drive the car, because I won't give up.'"

Altman had a short conversation in front of the hospital with FIA Institute deputy president Gerard Saillant, who he said was there to attend Massa as well.

"He has some things to do in his regular job so he has to go home today. But he was here all the time", Altman confirmed, denying earlier reports that Massa would be taken to Saillant's clinic in Paris. "No. We thought about that once, but that's it.

"The FIA medical team was always part of the process," Altman told AUTOSPORT. "Everybody was taking all the decisions together with the physicians here in Hungary."

"There are very good physicians here, really very high standards in terms of the hospital, the physicians, all the work, all the equipment and everything."

He said Massa would be going "home" from the hospital, but whether he would be taken to Monaco or Brazil was not yet decided.

"It depends on when he will go out. There are so many things to deal with, so it's very difficult to say."

On Wednesday afternoon Massa was again visited at the hospital in Budapest by Ferrari chief Luca di Montezemolo, who flew over from Italy to see him.

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A Ferrari spokesman has confirmed that Felipe Massa moved out of the intensive care unit at Budapest's AEK hospital on Wednesday.

"The most important situation is that Felipe is out of intensive care and now in his own private room," Ferrari spokesman Luca Colajanni said.

"He is speaking more or less normally and he has managed a few steps so, from a clinical point of view, everything is going in the right direction."

The Maranello-based team confirmed that Michael Schumacher is scheduled to fill in for as long as it takes the 28-year-old Brazilian to recover from the Hungarian GP qualifying crash.


Massa's doctor Dino Altman said he is hopeful he will be able to return to Formula One at some point, telling reporters the Ferrari driver "doesn't seem to have a long-term injury".

Source F1-Live

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Massa will leave hospital on Monday

By Peter Farkas    Friday, July 31st 2009, 12:49 GMT

Felipe Massa will leave Hungary by a private plane on Monday, his personal doctor, Dino Altmann confirmed.

"Felipe continues to improve, he is doing very well, and we already decided to go back home on Monday to Brazil," Altmann told journalists on Friday at the AEK Hospital in Budapest, where Massa has been treated since his accident during the weekend of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

"He will fly to Sao Paulo."

Altmann said "there was no need" for the Brazilian to be taken to FIA Institute deputy president Gerard Saillant's clinic in Paris, where Michael Schumacher was also treated after he broke his leg in an accident ten years ago.

"He has to continue his recovery and go back racing as soon as possible, that's the plan," Altmann added. "No special treatment.

"He is in very good mood, he is in good shape. He wants to come back soon."

Ferrari decided to replace Massa with seven-time world champion Schumacher, who has already started practicing at a wheel of a two-year old F2007 at Mugello today.

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Schumacher visits recovering Massa

By Peter Farkas    Saturday, August 1st 2009, 13:51 GMT

Michael Schumacher payed a short visit to his old team-mate and protege Felipe Massa in Budapest's AEK Hospital on Saturday.

The seven-time world champion tested a two-year old F2007, run by the F1 Clienti department of Ferrari, extensively on Friday as he prepares to stand in for the injured Brazilian in Valencia later this month.

His visit lasted 30 minutes, though he did not stop to speak to the press.

Former Ferrari boss Jean Todt also visited Massa in Budapest on Saturday morning, arriving separately to Schumacher.

Massa's personal doctor Dino Altman has already confirmed the driver will leave the hospital and be taken to his home in Brazil by a private plane on Monday.