with no testing allowed, i guess gene or badoer is the Only choice

**** me, lucky escape

Agree he won't be racing tomorrow - I hope he's just fine!!

seemed the track first aid took sometime to get to him, I thought he was slumped in his cockpit for quite sometime (1-2 minutes?)

Schumacher?

So it's conformed he's not racing then.

I'd say Gene, he is younger, has more recent F1 race experience (for Williams in 2004) and won Le Mans last month.

I saw him at Goodwood recently and he appears to be in pretty good shape for a 34 year old.

Badoer has done nothing in a decade, other than pound around Ferrari test tracks.

He was also passed over for Mika Salo when in his prime.

No one drives another Ferrari tomorrow.Surely Massa is okay in 4 weeks time.

...unless they decide to pull a certain multiple WDC out of retirement for a race or two.

A replacement isn't possible any more.

Badoer was racing for Minardi in 1999 though.

I dont think they realised the issue at first. It did not look like that big an incident at first. The track marshalls were there ready to pull the car out but the revving engine made them hang back. When the medical car arrived they got straight in there. A bizarre accident and people wouldn't have known what had happend until they saw his helmet.

As none of the above mentioned as possible replacements have qualified for the race i would rate the chances of any of them starting the race as remote to say the least

We're talking about Valencia onwards, if Massa still isn't fit enough

Maybe not from Massa's spot on the grid, but maybe a replacement could be allowed to start from pitlane?

Sure, no replacement for tomorrow. But in case Felipe is not ready for the next race...

we are not talking about tomorrow's race

if its that serious and he got some basilar skull fracture....surely he will be out for atleast a month

I wonder what safety measures Massa's incident will trigger. One meter high cockpit sides and drivers looking through a periscope? Two similar accidents in a week...

As nasty as the photo looks Massa is extremely lucky it didn't hit him e few centimeters lower or it would very likely have been fatal. Scary.

19) CHANGES OF DRIVER
19.1 a) During a season each team will be permitted to use four drivers. Changes may be made at any time before the start of the qualifying practice session provided any change proposed after 16.00 on the day of scrutineering receives the consent of the stewards.
Additional changes for reasons of force majeure will be considered separately.

sorry, teach me to jump in to a thread without reading the whole of it first

I mean for Valencia.

christ!! he's a lucky lad......my best wishes go out to him for a speedy recovery, he's really (metaphorically speaking) dodged a bullet there

bit disappointed so many here seem to want to chuck someone into his seat....not much more to say really are points really THAT important?

Yes, but he was a Ferrari driver on loan.

And Ferrari didn't cite his Minardi contract as a reason not to take him in 1999.

They said Salo would do a better job.

So, will his grid spot remain empty or everybody jumps a place???

I think the visors are extremely strong these days, and are designed to withstand exactly this kind of impact without penetration.

He is classified at 10th and there is no penalty so empty slot I guess.

Lucky man. Based on how much damage that space age helmet took, direct hit to visor would have been fatal.

If there is no serious concussion etc, he´ll be fine. The injury shown in this pic doesn´t look bad at all.

Hopefully the initial reports are correct and we´ll see Felipe racing soon enough

That posted picture sure looks like a scull fracture to me. He was 2 inches from death. He is unconscious in the picture too.

That could have been much worse.

What puzzles me is that we don't see a car in front of him, so what gives that whatever it was bounces so dangerous on the track?

There is a 4 week break after Hungary...

Doesn't look all that bad but it could be worse. That kind injury is normal in boxing but not in Formula 1.

Poor guy,feel very sorry for him.That does look like a nasty hit.

Okay.

From that photo I could believe a skull fracture, but not a basal skull fracture.

I hope that he gets well soon.

Must be a scary situation for his pregnant wife.

Get well soon Massa

2009 sporting regulations.

Pages 7 (bottom) and 8.

Here

A small part can bounce for quite some time after falling off at 250km/h or the likes.

Anyone else getting a shiver down their spine looking at that and thinking of what happened 15 years ago to another Brazil driver?

A basal skull fracture refers not only to fractures at the base of the skull, but may also include the bony structures around the orbital socket. Judging by that photo, damage to the orbital socket is a possibility.

Edit: God speed to Felipe for a quick, complete recovery.

bigger pic:
http://www.f1csatorna.hu/webimages/2009/07/massa.jpg

hope for recovery, nothing is sure, 24 hours will be critical

Can anyone please indicate the article in Sports Regs saying you cannot change driver after qualy? All I found is what other people already posted: 19.1 Additional changes for reasons of force majeure will be considered separately.

Was extremely worried when I saw him not moving from the car, and when I saw the straight skidlines from before the corner. Seemed almost identical to the tragic incident last week, albeit showing that he'd at least managed to brake the car somewhat.

The picture is quite shocking, but I'm delighted to hear he's at least conscious and talking. Hope he's back and racing soon.

These incidents seem to have an awful London Bus like frequency rate, lets hope this is the last of them..

+1

The driver qualifies, not the car. Any driver that wishes to take over will not have qualified for the race. Its quite simple.

Jacques Villeneuve for replacement if he is not ready for Valencia?

The cut looks as if it was caused by compression of the helmet about his left eye.

That's what the helmet is designed to do of course.

God, please no.

How about Anthony Davidson?

It's got nothing to do with points. By regulations teams must race two cars at every event, if Massa can't drive the next race Ferrari has to put someone else in the car.

Yes but you must remember the speeds these cars are travelling when something drops off or kicked up. I can remember several years ago whilst travelling on the motor a stone kicked up by a lorry that seemd about a 1/4 of mile away, I actually watched travel towards, me, just thinking thats going to hit, and then bang, a big chip in my windscreen, it was really quite sureal.