Felipe Massa says that he is not haunted by returning to the scene of the accident that nearly claimed his life in qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix
The Brazilian missed the remainder of the season after being hit on the head by an errant spring from countryman Rubens Barrichello's Brawn, but returned to action in 2010, and finds himself back at the Hungaroring one year on with the tyre marks from his flight into the tyre barrier still visible at turn four. Despite the reminder, however, he insists that he only thinks back to the incident when asked about it by the media.
"Definitely, I didn't think about the accident during the whole qualifying," he claimed, "I thought about it only when I finished and when you guys asked in the interview. Then you realise."
Massa posted the fourth best time in qualifying for round twelve of the season, one week on from being denied victory at Hockenheim on the actual anniversary of the accident. Although his chances of celebrating his lucky escape with a trip to the podium this weekend look likely to be limited by the stunning pace of the Red Bulls, the Brazilian admits that he is merely happy to have been able to return.
"Going to the qualifying here and finishing the qualifying is a great feeling," he told reporters, "We know that things could have been much worse, but we are here and healthy, which is the most important thing."
Robert Veres, who operated on the
Ferrari driver after he had been airlifted to hospital in Budapest, is Massa's special guest this weekend, but the Brazilian has made special efforts to meet with everyone who attended to him in the aftermath of the crash.
"When you see the guys who took me out of the car, this was a fantastic feeling," he said, "When I go to the corner where I had the accident, I don't care but, when I see these guys, I care about them."