Thursday 30 April 2015

No long term problems following 2009 accident

(© Ben Johnston 2015)

Williams Martini Racing Team’s Felipe Massa believes that he has proven his doubters wrong. The Brazilian has confirmed that he has suffered no long term affects following his horrendous crash at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix when he was hit in the head by bring that had come from Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn GP car.

The Brazilian made a remarkable recovery following life threatening injuries and was back racing for Ferrari in 2010.

At the end of the 2013 Formula One season, Massa was replaced at Ferrari by former team mate Kimi Raikkonen and as a result he joined the Williams Martini Racing Team. He was joined at the Grove based outfit by his former Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley.

Smedley joined Williams Martini Racing as Head of Performance Engineering overseeing all the engineering operations at the Grove based outfit.

In 2014, Massa was comprehensively beaten by team mate Valtteri Bottas however at the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring Massa scored a pole position leading a Williams Martini Racing Team front row lock out.

Felipe Massa finished the 2014 season in seventh place in the championship on 134 points while Valtteri Bottas finished the season in fourth place in the championship on 186 points. Bottas missed the opening race of the season in Australia through injury and as a result Felipe Massa has scored more points than the Finn.

Massa is currently in 5th place in the championship on 31 points, just one point ahead of Valtteri Bottas. When it comes to his time at Ferrari, Massa stated that is the past and he is now focused on now and the future with the Williams Martini Racing Team.

His move to Williams would certainly appear to have been the right call as the Grove based outfit beat Ferrari in the Constructors championship last season and are currently fighting the Prancing Horse this season.

© Ben Johnston 2015

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