Massa will return "better than before," doctor says (Feature)

By Diana Renee Sep 4, 2009, 17:38 GMT

   Rio de Janeiro - Felipe Massa's personal doctor believes that the Ferrari driver will return to Formula 1 'better than before' when he finally recovers from injury.

Dino Altmann, Massa's personal doctor, told the German Press Agency dpa that the Brazilian driver is recovering well from the serious accident he suffered in Hungary on July 25.

'He is no longer at risk, since tests came out normal,' Altmann said.

The doctor noted that, in order to return to Formula 1, Massa only needs to undergo minor surgery in his skull, to correct a problem that was leftover from the accident he suffered during tests prior to the Hungarian Grand Prix.

A spring hit Massa in the head, went through his helmet and made the driver lose consciousness and therefore crash against a tyre wall. He spent several days in an induced coma in Budapest and pursued his recovery further in Sao Paulo.

The latests tests - carried out in Miami - confirmed Massa's complete recovery, although the driver is set to return to Formula 1 in 2010.

Last weekend, reports in Brazil and abroad quoted Altmann as saying that Massa would run a 'most serious risk' if he returned to the track prematurely.

The doctor was also quoted as saying that he was concerned about the chance of another accident, which could have even more serious consequences 'perhaps not at the time, but later, like the appearance of pathologies like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's diseases.'

   Altmann told dpa that he never made those comments. He stressed that 'Massa is no longer at risk.'

'He is very well, he needs to undergo surgery to repair the bone damage he suffered and then physically get ready to return,' the doctor said.

   Altmann noted that - despite the driver's repeated comments about his desire to get back to competitive motorsport - Massa is going about the long recovery process quite calmly.

He stressed that Massa has not let speculation affect him and that he has kept himself at bay of discussions as to his possible successors, a debate that finally settled on Italian Giancarlo Fisichella.

'I do not see a problem with those concerns. Ferrari has given (Massa) all possible support,' Altmann said.

When asked whether the accident may affect Massa's performance upon his return to the track, the doctor was adamant.

'He will return better than before,' he noted.