Massa targeting comeback at season’s final grand prix
FERRARI’S Felipe Massa hopes to race for the first time since his life-threatening crash in little more than four weeks’ time at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The Brazilian, who spent days in a coma following the horror smash in July, had not been expected to return to F1 before next season.
But Massa has reportedly targeted the final race of the season on 1 November for his comeback, after driving a kart earlier this week for the first time since his accident. The 2007 champion, whose title hopes for this campaign faded long ago, suffered a fractured skull during qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
He spent more than a week in hospital and needed plastic surgery after a spring hit his helmet as he travelled at more than 160mph.
Monday’s karting session, which took in a handful of laps of a course near Sao Paulo, was the latest step in the 28-year-old’s recuperation.
Massa reported no ill-effects after the session, which was attended by his doctor Dino Altmann, as a precaution. Altmann recommended that he drive for no more than an hour but a rainstorm cut his practice short.
Massa said last week that he planned to take part in an all-star karting event in late November, but it now appears his comeback could be far sooner.
Ferrari, meanwhile, are expected to confirm this week that two-time world champion Fernando Alonso will drive alongside Massa next season. Negotiations to terminate the contract of Kimi Raikkonen, who is poised to rejoin McLaren, are thought to have held up the announcement.