However, Ferrari has said they want to proceed gradually and do not intend to rush him before he is physically and mentally fit and ready. F1 is ready to wait until the start of 2010. Massa underwent neurological tests in Paris on Friday. According to Ferrari, the outcome was rather positive prompting the decision to allow him to get behind the wheel of a privately owned F2007. Season testing is banned however; the sports governing body gave Massa permission to test using GP2 Tyres at Ferrari’s test track at Fiorano as part of his analysis. Ferrari insisted there is no chance of a comeback in 2009.As per the Ferrari statement this is in no way a proper test session and looking at the stopwatch will not be on the agenda. This opportunity for Felipe will renew his acquaintance with the natural environment namely at the racetrack. Felipa Massa was knocked unconsciously by a loose car part and injured the area around his left eye prompting fears at that time he could have suffered from loss of vision. He is anticipated to return for the final grand prix in Abu Dhabi held on 1 November.

Meanwhile Ferrari has expressed frustration on the issue of Michael Schumacher not being allowed to test in the F60 car. Williams and Red Bull teams had opposed the Ferrari request to allow Schumacher on the issue on practicing in Massa’s car as the new rules don’t allow in-season testing. Schumacher on Friday did 70 laps at Mugello near Florence in the 2007 Ferrari car.

Meanwhile Felipe Massa left the hospital in Sao Paulo on Tuesday and as per the latest reports he does not require any more surgeries.

Massa boarded a private jet at the Ferihegy International Airport, Budapest and left for his hometown Sao Paulo. Massa is scheduled to land in Sao Paulo tonight. He is expected to check into a hospital for further tests. Massa had a 162 mph impact with the tyre wall barrier and was almost unconscious for more then 48 hrs. Massa confirmed that post the spring impact on his crash hamlet, he does not recall anything and has no memory of what happened for almost two day before he woke up in the hospital.

Michael Schumacher will be Felipe Massa’s replacement till the Brazilian is fit to race again.  Schumi had visited his Farrari tame mate on Sunday to check on his recovery. Schumacher has always been a guide and mentor for the Brazilian and was happy to see Schumacher back to the racking track after years of gap.

As of now all have to wait for the next race weekend when Michael Schumacher will step into the 2009 Ferrari as the new FIA rules don’t allow in-season testing.

It is said that Schumacher agreed to return to F1 due to his team loyalty and also his proximity to Massa, as he has been helping the Brazilian shape up his career from the time he was his co-driver in the last season of his retirement. Schumacher won five of his seven world titles with the Italian Team F1 team Ferrari.

This will be a great challenge for the German Ace to be ready to race in just three weeks. He would be only able to step in the 2009 car on 21st august practice as the new FIA rules don’t allow in-season testing. Schumacher had last stepped into a F1 car in April 2008. The much bigger challenge for Schumacher will be to overcome the injuries sustained in a bike race in Feb this year. Human body especially the neck region comes under high G-forces n a F1 race. But knowing Schumacher, its looks he will be ready for the European Grand Prix and he is such a fighter that elevated him to 91 career Grand Prix wins.

This news was revealed on the same day when BMW decided to quit Formula 1 racing at the current season, last season Honda had quit. The reason for BMW quitting could be the recession, but the company says that it wants to use the money on developing greener technologies.

Now the wait is on, as it will be the first time to see Schumacher taking Hamilton. Also the race is a city track and Schumacher like city circuits more then regular Grand Prix tracks.

Massa suffered a life threatening concussion when loose shrapnel hit his helmet and he lost control of his car and hit the tyre wall at the speed of 190 kilometers per hour. He was air lifted in the medical helicopter and was taken to the AEK hospital where he was operated within an hour. As of now he is in the intensive care unit of the hospital.

The weekend at Hungaroring circuit was quite a serious blow on F1’s governing body’s efforts to increase driver safety. First it was Massa’s crash and then during the race, Renault driver and former world champion Fernando Alonso lost his wheel during the race. Fernando Alonso has been banned for the next race post this incident. Renault team should have informed Alonso about his wheel problem and thus could have avoided such an incident, but they failed to communicate at the rite time.

These two accidents remind all of us about the tragedy that happened 15 years ago when Ayrton Senna died in a crash at Imola. Senna was the three times World Formula 1 Champion but lost his life due to head injuries suffered in that violent crash.

Fellow Brazilian driver Rubens Barrichello and Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo visited the hospital to check on the status of Massa’s health. Also present at the hospital was Massa’s pregnant wife Anna Rafaela.

The qualifing also had some cheer for McLaren as both there cars qualified in the Top ten after a long time with Heikki Kovalainen qualifying sixth behind team mate Lewis with a timing of 1 minute 33.859 seconds.

Force India driver Adrian Sutil threw a major surprise when he qualified seventh on his home circuit as he drove an aggressive qualifying lap clocking 1 minute 34.316 seconds. There was a word around that Force India were expecting some improvement in there performance but nobody expected such a shocker. Last years winning team Ferrari must be disappointed with their performance as Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen are placed at eighth and ninth with a qualifying time of 1 minute 34.574 second and 1 minute 34.710 seconds respectively. Renault’s Nelson Piquet finished his qualifying at the tenth place with a time of 1 minute 34.803 seconds.

The weather gods also threw a surprise at the Nurburgring in the Q2 and created a huge confusion. Two drivers (Nakajima and Massa) went off the road as they were using the slick tyre’s. if that was not enough to give everyone a sign of caution, Kovalainen spun and banged the wall in Turn Four but managed to continue.

Toyota’s Jarno Trulli drove an impressive fifth clearly showing his experience and driving skills in the tough Istanbul circuit. After a devastating start of the season, Ferrari are showing positive results to the changes adopted in the new car and their two cars qualified sixth and seventh. Kimi Räikkönen lines up in the third row of the grid while his Brazilian counterpart Felipe Massa will start the race in the fourth row along side Fernando Alonso of Renault.

Disaster for McLaren-Mercedes happened when Lewis Hamilton failed to even clear Q1, his car was not responding properly raising doubts about the current car. Now it’s very much clear that the defending champion won’t be able to defend his crown this season.It was also a good showing by Force India driver Adrian Sutil, who managed to clear Q1.

Some facts about the race, first its one of the few races that happens anti clock wise. As the circuit is not used for anything apart from F1 it also has its own impact on the tyres. The is a lot of wear and tear on the tyres and also the temperature and wind also make a lot of difference to the race.

2009 FORMULA 1 ING TURKISH GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING RESULTS

Defending World Champion Lewis Hamilton was considered as the pre-race favorite crashed out in the first qualifying session and could just manage 16th position. He would start the race on the 8th row of the grid on Sunday. Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel showed his driving skills and form to take the fourth place ahead of Ferrari driver Felipe Massa. Massa was lucky that he could still race after surviving the Q1 accident where he damaged the nose cone of his car in the swimming pool section of the race. Vettel Clocked 1m 15.271s and Massa clocked 1m 15.437s. Nico Rosberg and Heikki Kovalainen came sixth and seventh with a timing of 1m 15.455s and 1m 15.516s. Mark Webber drving the second Red Bull clocked 1m 15.653s taking him to the 8th spot. Alonso clocked 1m 16.009s and would share the fifth row on the grid with Williams’ Kazuki Nakajima who clocked 1m 17.344s.

The only accident in the Q2 happened with Nelson Piquet and finished 12th behind Toro Rosso driver Sebastien Buemi. Force Indian had a great qualifying with both the cars reaching Q2, Giancarlo Fisichella finished 13th while his German counterpart Adrian Sutil finished 15th. Sebastien Bourdais of the Toro Rosso team finished 14th and shares the grid with Fisichella. Sutil shares the grid with Hamilton who was out dude to Q1 accident. On the 9th row of the grid are the two drivers from BMW Sauber Team, Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica. The last row on the grid is shared by the two Toyota drivers Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock. The weather forecast for Sunday is clear and sunny and it is sure to be a great race day. Monaco is the most technical circuit and has a history of crashes and surprise winners. We just have to see who take the checkered flag at one of the most popular races of the Formula One season.

Jesnson Button

Kimi Raikkonen