Felipe Massa, having witnessed the anniversary of his life-threatening accident last Sunday, will this weekend return to the scene of the accident which so nearly took his life at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix.
Massa’s incident arrived at Turn 4 during the second phase of qualifying last year, with some having tipped the Brazilian for pole position and the race win before team-mate Kimi Räikkönen did indeed challenge for victory the following day. Massa was knocked unconscious at the wheel by an airborne spring which flew off friend and fellow countryman Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn.
“Going back to Budapest will be a very special weekend for me, for reasons which you can all appreciate as it was there, just over a year ago, that I was seriously injured when a spring from another car hit me on the head during Q2 on Saturday afternoon,” said Felipe.
“My first meeting when I arrive at the Hungaroring circuit will be with all the marshals and medical staff who did such a very good job of carefully getting me out of the cockpit. I want to thank these people, with whom I now feel a special bond. I had to stay in hospital for a week after the accident and I got to know the staff, who all treated me so well and one unusual result of the whole unfortunate episode is that I know I now have a lot more fans in Hungary.
“Quite often this year, at press conferences at the track, journalists ask me if I feel I am back to normal and if I am driving as well as before and my answer is always the same: yes, in terms of my work, absolutely nothing has changed.
"But as a person, the accident did change me; it made me value life much more than before and I appreciate the ordinary things in life ten times more and it has put life and my health in perspective, not taking anything for granted and not just for me, but also for life in general and what it means to everyone.
“I know what it means now and I feel I am much more mature as a human being. However, on the professional front, nothing has changed, because once you shut the visor and go out on the race track, you just do everything as before, without thinking of the accident.”
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