A thankful Massa leaves hospital and heads for home
Having spent over a week in Budapest's AEK hospital following his violent knock-out collision with a metal spring and subsequent high-speed crash during Hungarian GP qualifying, Felipe Massa boarded a private jet on Monday and headed home towards Sao Paulo.
Accompanied by pregnant wife Raffaela and personal doctor Dino Altmann, and sporting wounds to his forehead and a swollen left eye, the Brazilian will now continue his road to recovery in familiar surroundings.
Massa has no recollection of the incident itself, explaining during an interview appearing on the Ferrari website that he remembered being behind Rubens Barrichello's car (from which the spring was soon ejected) and then waking up in hospital two days later.
He said the blank is "sort of a strange feeling," but his number one aim is very clear in his mind: "I'm feeling much better now and I want to recover as soon as possible to get back behind the wheel of a Ferrari."
The 28-year-old is also feeling very grateful to the people who worked on him and gave their support during this difficult period.
"I want to thank the doctors at the race track and at Budapest's AEK hospital, who have done a lot for me, and Dino Altmann, who came with my family from Brazil and who was extraordinary over the last days," he stated, adding he was impressed by the amount of 'get well' messages he received via Ferrari and his personal website.
"My family is important to me," he continued.
"They have always been close to me during my career, victories and defeats, and the most difficult moments. There was only (brother) Edoardo at Budapest, but when the accident happened Raffaela, my father, my mother and then my sister came to Hungary. I know that they've suffered a lot and I want to thank them.
"And then there's another family I have to thank: the Ferrari family. They were great, they helped us in any possible way and it's a great thing to be part of this group."
Massa is happy to see Michael Schumacher taking over the F60's cockpit while he mends at home, and believes he is in no position to offer any advice regarding the challenge ahead: "Michael doesn't need my advice! It was him who gave me many tips during my career when we were racing together. He knows how to win, he knows how to drive and he's great.
"It was the best choice handing over the car to such a fantastic person and I'm sure that everybody will be happy to see him back on the track again," Massa said, however pointing out: "Although I hope I'll be back on the track with Ferrari as soon as possible."