Felipe Massa granted Ferrari test – could he make a comeback at Abu Dhabi?
Massa has been out of the Ferrari cockpit for three months
Felipe Massa has been given permission to test a 2008-specification Ferrari using GP2 tyres.
The reports in Brazilian press raise hopes he could make a surprise return to F1 before the end of the 2009 season.
Luca Colajanni confirmed to Globo that Massa will drive the Ferrari simulator at Maranello this week and a time will be arranged for him to get back behind the wheel of an F1 car:
Ferrari made an official request and the FIA agreed. Felipe can test a car last year, with no parts or tyres this year. The date will be decided this week.
Luca Colajanni
Stefano Domenicali had earlier refuted suggestions Massa could return at his home race at Interlagos, which is two weeks away:
He is doing now some karting activity and everything is running very smoothly and he should be back in Europe next week in order to do some activity on the simulator and then we will see after that what will be the next step. But at the moment to make something clear, I saw some speculation that Felipe could possibly come back in Brazil, but I can exclude it categorically.
Stefano Domenicali
But the Abu Dhabi season finale is a month off, which could give Massa the extra time he needs to recuperate.
He drove a kart in Sao Paulo last week for the first time since his crash during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Do you think Massa should return to F1 this year?
Thanks to @lookingspiffy on Twitter for the tip
Peter said on 5th October 2009, 4:27
Don’t see any problems with him getting back into the car. Also you guys do realise because it’s compulsory he has to pass a fia medical check. If he passes the medical check then their isn’t really any health issues with him jumping back into the car.
Hakka said on 5th October 2009, 4:37
I’d like to see Massa back and fighting next year. He needs to add some results to his name.
His problem is that he doesn’t actually have much to his name in an absolute sense. Everything he has accomplished is relative to another racer (losing to Lewis by just one point, beating Kimi in the same car). When you look at absolute results in the F1 books:
Alonso: 2 WDCs, 29 mentions in F1 drivers records [1]
Raikko: 1 WDC, FLAP records, 26 mentions in F1 drivers records [1]
Massa: … 3 mentions in F1 drivers records [1]
And he’s Alonso’s and Raikkonen’s contemporary, to boot.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Formula_One_driver_records
And he needs to stop whining and get a little more classy.
DMW said on 5th October 2009, 17:56
I also suspect that Ferrari want to see if Massa’s faculties are truly back with him before losing the chance at getting a decent replacement for next year, i.e., Robert Kubica, or at getting more talent signed up for ’11, should Mass prove too slow now. It would be interesting to plot the performance of drivers after major, sidelining accidents and see who has truly come back to top form. Beside Schumacher.
steph90 said on 5th October 2009, 18:05
He’s back in Maranello now. If he isn’t on pace though, he hasn’t got long left on his contract anyway. Do people think he will be signed up again?
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