Thursday, September 2, 2010

Racing may be out of the question for the sidelined Felipe Massa, but the Ferrari ace was an interested spectator at the Yas Marina Circuit.

The Brazilian remains in neutral following a horror smash at the Hungaroring back in July, which left the 28-year-old with a fractured skull. And despite a near miracle recovery, the UAE’s Formula One debut came just too soon for him.

Massa has missed the entire second half of the season since coming out of intensive care.

But initial fears that he may never race again proved unfounded and he is clearly on the road to recovery.

The 28-year-old was not in action as the cream of world motorsport took to the track in the UAE capital, but watching his rivals has whetted the appetite of the 2008 championship runner-up.

The scars on Massa’s face seem to be disappearing, and the track holds no fear for the F1 high-flyer despite the freak accident where he was hit by a piece of debris from Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn in qualifying for the Hungary GP.

He said: “Now I feel really fine, just like I was before the accident. I can do everything that I could do before the accident and I feel really motivated to get back to the track and I feel ready to race.”

Massa’s rivals have been getting their first taste of the action on the high-tech 5.5km track, and with the giant red Ferrari World theme park taking shape in the distance, it’s no surprise the Tifosi like the look of the new addition to the F1 calendar.

Massa will have to be patient and wait until next season, for his Abu Dhabi debut, when he joins forces with Fernando Alonso for a crack at the title.

But he was impressed by the Yas Island set-up.

“I like it (the Yas Marina Circuit) for sure,” he added.

“For me it’s very difficult as I haven’t had the chance to drive it. But it looks a difficult track.

“It’s very technical, difficult. There’s lots of slow corners but you need good speed on the straights, there are two very important straights, so it’s a very difficult track and you can see that by how the drivers react.”