Injured Ferrari man Felipe Massa could be well enough to leave hospital in 10 days, says the medical director of the AEK hospital. Meanwhile, the rumour that Michael Schumacher would fill in for Massa has been denied.
The news from the hospital regarding Massa's condition continues to be positive, showing that Massa is recovering well from injuries sustained when he was struck by debris during the qualifying session at the Hungaroring last weekend. The Brazilian suffered a skull fracture and concussion, but reports from his medical team say that he should leave the hospital by the end of next week.
Peter Bazso, the medical director of the hospital in Budapest, has told Hungarian TV that: "My expectation is that he would walk out of the hospital on his own. If his recovery continues at this pace, I wouldn't rule out that he could leave within 10 days."
This follows the report yesterday that confirmed Massa had been taken off artificial ventilation, having initially been placed in an induced coma, and was talking to doctors and family members.
"He's spending more and more time awake, talking to family and friends," Bazso confirmed.
The Ferrari man currently has his wife, parents, brother and manager Nicolas Todt with him in the hospital, where he remains in intensive care for observation. His team boss Stefano Domenicali visited him again today.
The only worry on the horizon remains the potential damage to Massa's left eye. But in a seperate statement, Massa's personal doctor Dino Altman said that: "Felipe has opened his left eye and he can see. There's no apparent damage. The eye is morphologically healthy."
Baszo also said that it was too early for him to leave intensive care. "I would like to point out that although he's recovering, this is not the end of the story, he is still in a life-threatening condition," Bazso tempered, "Of course, the danger is decreasing by the day."
Despite the possibility of Massa leaving within 10 days, and the long gap to the next race in Valencia, he is still expected to be out for a number of races. Ferrari have refused to immediately name his replacement, but today Willi Weber countered rumours that seven-time champion Michael Schumacher was in the frame for a shock return from retirement.
Despite Schumacher's spokeswoman saying the German would "consider" an offer to drive the car, Weber retorted by saying that: "Whoever sits in the car at the next race in Valencia, it will not be Michael Schumacher. I am not 100 per cent sure; I am 200 per cent sure.
"The pressure on him would be huge. He would be expected to win, but he has not driven this car. When Michael was racing he would get as close to perfection as possible. In this case, it would not be perfection; it would be a gamble - and that's not Michael's style."
Weber spoke after he met with his star client at his tax-friendly home in Geneva. Schumacher won five of his seven titles in Ferrari cars, the most recent in 2004, before his retirement at the end of the 2006 season.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
