Doctors announce Massa’s return to racing

The doctors taking care of Felipe Massa are confident that he will be able to drive on an F1 track again.

Altmann – Massa’s personal doctor – asserts that the trauma suffered by the Brazilian was not as severe as initially considered and that his condition improved quickly.

“I have no doubt that Felipe will return to racing,” he declared to the Gazzetta dello Sport. “I am sure of that.”

« The situation is still delicate, but I believe that his life is no longer in danger. From the beginning, I felt that the trauma wasn’t as extensive as we thought, but the improvements in the last few hours have exceeded our greatest expectations. »

Altmann added that fears of damage to his left eye, which opened for the first time yesterday since the accident, were proven to be unfounded. He dismissed reports of vision problems as well as a gallbladder inflammation.

« Stimulated by the physiotherapist, his eye moves from right to left, he is fully aware of the distance and depth. Regarding his memory loss, it is a very short period of time due to the shock. »

« His eye was opened carefully because it is still swollen, and he said he wanted to see it. This did not unsettle him. »

« He gave appropriate answers in three languages: Portuguese, Italian, and English. This means that the cognitive brain is well. Finally, he got up today and walked around his bed. »

Ferrari confirmed that Massa will leave intensive care during the day. Stefano Domenicali stated that his recovery is impressive.

“These are tremendous improvements,” said the Ferrari team principal. “After only three days, he has made encouraging progress.”

« He recognized me and I brought him all the support from the team and the fans. He replied to me in Italian, after speaking to his family in Portuguese. He told me he didn’t remember much about the accident: that’s a good thing. »

Domenicali added that Massa will get back his race seat when he is fit enough to return.