3,000 messages for Massa

ore than 3,000 questions were posted for Felipe Massa in the chat today at 12pm by around 3,800 visitors on Ferrari.com. Numerous messages just to greet the Brazilian driver who staid online for around 40 minutes: many Italians (around 32%) and numerous fans from the UK, France, Spain, Russia and even from Brazil, although it was early in the morning when Felipe was online.

Here are the most significant answers to the questions. Obviously many questions were about Felipe Massa’s health. Maxmove asked if he had ever considered to stop racing. “I never had that thought. A couple of days after the accident my life was as it was before, the only worry was my eye, but then everything was ok. I never had any doubts.”

Speedtrap wanted to know if he felt any pain: “Fortunately no, not even when I woke up in Budapest. Obviously medicine helped me a lot, but all in all, I didn’t have any problems.” Many asked Felipe about his eyesight: “It’s perfect, 100%.”

Geb81 wanted to talk about the helmets and the safety: “Obviously modern technology helped me a lot. The fact that we have carbon fibre helmets makes the difference. If this accident had happened many years ago, the outcome would have been very different. We’re working together with the FIA and the helmet manufacturers to improve safety. The helmet from Budapest? I’ll have it in my house together with the others, it’s part of my life.”

Asnaghimax wanted to know if Raffaela had asked him to stop racing. “She helps me a lot these days. Obviously I was afraid and very worried, but she knows that I love racing and that’s why she helps me where she can. Only once she asked me if I wanted to stop, but I told her that I don’t and she understood. She asked me I there was at least a possibility of 1%, and I told her that there were not even 0,5%!”

Also about Raffaela ambRossa wanted to know how the pregnancy is going. “She’s fine. Her tummy grows bigger and bigger and she wants Felipinho to be born as soon as possible!”

Another hot topic was the possible return in one of the remaining GPs. “I hope that I’ll be back soon, but I also know that the best thing is that I’m coming back 100% at the start of the next season,” Felipe wrote to Rick. “My dream would be to race in Abu Dhabi, but the possibility is really, really low…” He also confirmed this to Marcello03 that his return might not happen this year.

But Felipe will be in Interlagos, where he’ll be in charge of the chequered flag on Sunday 18 October at the end of the Grand Prix. “It’s true. I can confirm it,” he told automarketF1. “It will be a great honour for me.”

Meanwhile the Brazilian driver had fun driving on his home track on the simulator: “I spent two very intense and interesting days driving in Barcelona and then in Interlagos and Abu Dhabi,” Felipe write. “Tomorrow I’ll go to Paris for some medical check ups at the FIA and on Monday, if the weather is fine, I should finally be behind the wheel of a Formula 1 single-seater. I hope that I can do many miles and do well, not only in terms of performance but also as far as constant lap times are concerned. I’m confident and I think that there won’t be any problems. It’s true that a Formula 1 vibrates a lot and there is lots of physical stress, but I’m used to it.”

Before Felipe used the simulator he went on the Granja Viana circuit in a kart: “It was great. Being on the track again and feeling the kerb is just a great feeling, and it was as if nothing had changed,” Felipe told cavallino78.

There were also some questions about the new 458 Italia: “I had the possibility to drive it for the first time last Tuesday: it’s a wonderful car! Engine, driveability and comfort seem to be perfectly balanced.”

And then there were some questions about the future, Alonso and the new car. “I’m sure that with Alonso we’ll form a great team and we’ll work together very well. The goal will be very simple: winning,” he told ldiko1. “I saw the model of the new car in the wind tunnel: it’s different from the actual one, also because there will be new rules. Let’s hope it will be fast!”

And after 2010? “I’d like to stay at Ferrari” Felipe told Giorgio2. “I’m very happy here and I don’t see why I should change. I hope to remain here for many years. For me this is a family. During the races I saw on TV I shouted for the team and I was always in contact with them.”

angefr asked about Vettel as a teammate and Felipe wrote: “Why not? Maybe one day … I had many teammates: Heidfeld, Fisichella, Villeneuve, Michael, Kimi and now I’ll have Alonso. There’s room for everybody!”

In the end Felipe told the Finnish fan Ferkku, who’s his preferred driver in the fight for the Drivers’ title amongst Button, Barrichello and Vettel: “Well, obviously Rubens!”