Massa [was] in 'Life-threatening' condition

The good news continues

Massa able to use left eye
29 July 2009
Felipe Massa's condition continues to improve following his qualifying accident in Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday. With his recovery progressing at a constant rate since being knocked unconscious in a freak accident at the Hungaroring, the Brazilian is thankfully able to use his left eye, which had been feared to be damaged for life.

Massa was hit in the left-hand side of the helmet by an 800g (1.7lb) steel spring whilst travelling to Turn 4 in the second phase of qualifying, causing semi unconsciousness at speeds of approximately 170mph. More good news from Budapest's AEK hospital on Tuesday report that Felipe continues to recovery.

"His condition is improving quickly and constantly," said Dino Altman, personal doctor to Massa. "He is more and more awake and reactive. He spoke to several people today, using three different languages, replying always in a coherent way. He's also progressing with his physiotherapy very well. He opened his left eye and confirmed that he can see with it. As far as the near future is concerned we have to be cautious, but I have to say that also today there are very positive signs."

Massa was also greeted by Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali plus predecessor Jean Todt and partner Michelle Yeoh. "It's good to have comforting news," said Domenicali. "I spoke to Felipe and it was very emotional for me; he recognised me and I brought him a message from everybody at Ferrari and from the fans all over the world. I told him that his red car will wait for him until he's ready to race again. Now we've got to take it step-by-step and remain cautious but it's really incredible to see all of this progress only three days after the accident."

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2009/07/29/massa-able-to-use-left-eye/
 
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http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77411

Doctors say Massa will race again

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

Dino 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 recognized 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."


:thumbup::dance::thumbsup::cheers:
 
Yeah.. Physically he can race again. What about mentally? Who knows
 
Yeah.. Physically he can race again. What about mentally? Who knows

Recent reports say that he is full control of his mental capacities; according to some sources, he tried to make a little joke when being informed about the race results. He still has to stay a few more days in hospital in order to cure several niggly ailments (a problem with the bladder and minor injuries from the seatbelts).
 
Great news that Felipe is recovering and maybe he will be able to race in Valencia.

Here is a greeting from all the drivers wishing Massa the best:
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXGBjwNyOMY[/YOUTUBE]
 
Its great to hear that Massa will have a full recovery and that he will return to racing. :D

I am about 100% certain Schumi will not be coming back to fill his friend's spot.

:mrgreen:

I will not give up hope until Schumacher himself comes out and says he will not be racing.:)

And this kids, is why you never give up hope.
 
I must admit, Steven, that even I though that Schumi coming back was preposterously unrealistic. But now I think about it... YOU WERE RIGHT! :p

As soon as i read that Massa would be out for a while, his name was the first that popped into my head. When Ferrari said they wouldn't rule anyone out, i knew they would ask him and because he is so awesome i knew he'd say yes. THE KING IS BACK !!!
 
these are great news. Fantastic to hear his recovery is going so well (great physical shape appears to help I suppose).

But I can't see him returning to F1 this season. Schumi will take it for the rest of the season, Massa will be there next season. Maybe he'll drive in Brazil for the emotional value of it, but what would bring more viewers? Massa's return at his own track or Schumi's last race ever?
 
Barrichello on Twitter:

My phone rang.It was Felipe .I could not believe it.he sounded great and in good spirit .He is great..he deserves all the best

:)
 
Of course I want him to have a speedy recovery, but just imagine the outcry if he is fit for Valencia so no Schumacher. :blink:
 
Of course I want him to have a speedy recovery, but just imagine the outcry if he is fit for Valencia so no Schumacher. :blink:

That will NOT happen. Even if he feels well, they won't let him drive 4 weeks after fracturing his skull and needing a life-saving surgery. I'm pretty sure it will take months.
 
F1.com have just posted an article on helmets which was a good read. But it still doesn't mention the weight of the projectiles fired at the visor...

Lifting the lid - Formula One helmets uncovered

Before last Saturday at the Hungaroring, helmets only really made the headlines when a driver decided to sport a new livery or auction one for charity. But Felipe Massa?s dramatic accident during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix brought driver safety - and in particular the great strides made in helmet design over the past few years - into much sharper focus.

Back in Formula One racing?s early days, it was speed, not safety that took precedence. Legendary world champion Juan Manuel Fangio preferred to race in a simple balaclava. But by 1953, even Fangio couldn?t hold back the tide, and helmets were made compulsory. The ones used nowadays, however, bear little resemblance to their primitive 1950?s predecessors and are the product of years of research and development.

As with all aspects of the sport?s safety, the FIA sets the standard, and the governing body?s most recent evolution of their helmet regulations, FIA 8860-2004, was developed over an eight-year period. Drafted by UK testing facility, Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), the new criteria were adopted by the three main Formula One helmet manufacturers, Arai, Bell and Schuberth, and the resulting homologated helmets were made compulsory by the World Motor Sport Council in 2004.

Although the exact composition of the materials that make up a Formula One helmet is a secret closely guarded by the manufacturers, the rigid outer shell features a couple of layers, usually fibre-reinforced resin over carbon fibre. Underneath, there is a layer of aramid (also used in many bulletproof vests) and another much thicker layer of polyethylene, a soft and deformable material, which is covered with the same flameproof material used in drivers? overalls. Smaller quantifies of aluminium, magnesium and the binding agent epoxy resin are all added to the mix too.

The typical weight of a Formula One helmet is a remarkably minimal 1250 grams. The lighter the helmet, the less weight it adds to the driver?s head under extreme G-forces, which in turn lessens the risk of whiplash-type injuries when something goes wrong. But as Massa?s accident in Hungary so dramatically demonstrated, a helmet also needs to be super strong, so it can absorb impacts and resist penetration during a crash.

With these (somewhat incompatible) aims of being both tough and lightweight, it?s no wonder the effort that goes into crafting a helmet that can fulfil the FIA?s demands is immense. First, the driver?s head is scanned to create a life-size model. This sculpted replica is then wrapped, layer by layer, with 120 mats of high-performance carbon fibre to ensure the perfect fit.

With every thread of fibre consisting of about 12,000 ?microthreads?, each of which is about 15 times thinner than a human hair, the process is as expensive as it is cutting edge. In one helmet, the total length of all the threads is approximately 16,000 kilometres. Over the same distance you could drive from Tokyo to London.

The individual layers are then bonded together in an autoclave (a type of ?industrial pressure cooker?), hardening under high pressure and at a constant temperature of 132?C. In addition, the parts which will be subject to huge loads once the helmet is in use, like the visor cut-out, are reinforced with supplementary materials, like aluminium and titanium.

As well as fulfilling its primary role of protecting a driver, the helmet must also allow him to see and breathe. Ventilation is provided through a small intake at the front, which filters the air to clean it of any motor oil, carbon and brake dust particles. Up to 10 litres of fresh air flow into the helmet?s interior per second.

The visor is made from a three millimetre-thick piece of specially-devised clear polycarbonate. Combining excellent impact protection, with flame resistance and excellent visibility, it?s by far the best solution. Most drivers tend to use tinted visors, which are coated with anti-fogging chemicals to prevent them misting up. In addition, there are several transparent tear-off strips attached to the outside, which the driver can remove as and when the visor gets dirty.

With equally strict safety standards to live up to, helmets are tested just as thoroughly as the cars. Fitted on an imitation metal ?head?, and equipped with sensors that measure deceleration, the helmet is mounted on a sledge running on vertical track. To replicate an impact, the helmet (and ?head?) are then lifted to a specified height and dropped on to a variety of objects, including a flat surface, a sharp edge, and a half-sphere.

The helmet test facility at TRL boasts a drop tower over 15.5m tall, which is capable of accelerating objects through gravity by up to around 17m/s (63km/h). A helmet designed to meet the FIA?s 8860 standards needs to withstand an impact of 9.5m/s (34.2 km/h). At this speed, the sensors must never display a deceleration of more than 300g, while 225 joules of energy must be dissipated.

In line with the regulations, helmets also undergo a variety of further deformation and fragmentation evaluations, as well as procedures to test the HANS device, which prevents a driver?s head from hitting the steering wheel. There?s also a compulsory fire test, during which the helmet is subjected to an 800?C flame for 45 seconds. To pass, temperatures inside the helmet are not allowed to exceed 70?C, otherwise it is back to the drawing board. The visor, meanwhile, has its protective qualities evaluated by having projectiles shot at it at 500km/h. The impact marks must not exceed a depth of 2.5mm.

On top of these all-important safety tests, helmets also go through stringent wind-tunnel trials to ensure the design creates minimal drag when the driver is travelling at speed. All in all then, from start to finish developing a Formula One helmet is a long-winded and pricey process. But considering that Massa is already up and about - and talking about getting back behind the wheel - it?s clearly worth all the effort.
 
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