Budapest: Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo said on Monday he was "confident in the recovery" of badly injured Ferrari driver Felipe Massa, after visiting him in hospital in Budapest.
"I am pleased to tell you that I saw that Felipe's recovery is going in an optimistic way," di Montezemolo said after visiting the 28-year old Brazilian pilot, adding that "it is difficult to be precise today" about the concrete consequences of the crash.
"I am confident in his capability to recover... thank God the situation now is completely different from when I went to see Nikki (Lauda)," the Ferrari chairman said, in reference to the Austrian racer's almost lethal burns after in a crash in the German Grand Prix 1976.
"We have to wait but the first reactions (of Massa) are encouraging," Montezemolo also said, noting that he was pleased to have seen first hand how his driver was doing.
Felipe Massa suffered skull and eye injuries when he was hit on the head by a spring that broke loose from compatriot Rubens Barrichello's Brawn car during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday.
Neurosurgeon Dr Robert Veres, who operated the injured pilot after the crash, said Monday that the racer was able to communicate with foot and hand movements.
"We cannot tell if he can race later on not... it is too early to say anything," he added.
Bureau Report
First Published: Monday, July 27, 2009, 19:46