Massa relieved to have qualified without incident

Posted at 12:00am on 31 July 2010

By Alan Baldwin

BUDAPEST, July 31 (Reuters) - Ferrari's Felipe Massa qualified for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday with a constant reminder standing in his garage of the accident that almost killed him last year.

The Brazilian invited Robert Veres -- the surgeon who operated on him after he suffered life-threatening head injuries when he was hit on the helmet by a bouncing spring in qualifying last year -- to watch the session as his special guest.

Otherwise, Massa wasted little time on reflection or introspection.

"Going to the qualifying here and finishing the qualifying is a great feeling," he told reporters after securing fourth spot on the grid.

"We know that things could have been much worse but anyway we are here and healthy, which is the most important thing.

"Definitely, I didn't think about the accident during the whole qualifying," he added. "I thought about it only when I finished and when you guys asked in the interview. And then you realise."

A large banner declaring 'Welcome back Felipe' could be seen in the stand along the main straight during the session and there were plenty of Ferrari flags on show as well.

Massa has made a point of thanking the staff at the circuit medical centre for their assistance last year and has also taken the surgeon out to dinner since he returned to the circuit outside Budapest.

"When you see the guys who took me out of the car, this was a fantastic feeling," he said.

"When I go to the corner where I had the accident, I don't care. But when I see these guys, I care about them."

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ken Ferris; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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