Felipe Massa will wave the chequered flag at the end of his home round, the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The Paulista is now back in training after recovering from his serious head injuries sustained in July’s Hungaroring qualifying, but his return behind the wheel of a Ferrari at the Interlagos track has been ruled out.
Instead, he will travel to his local circuit simply to be with his Ferrari team colleagues for the first time since his accident, and to greet the winner with the famous black and white flag.
It is rumoured that, after a medical thumbs-up by the FIA on Friday, and a test in a two-year-old Ferrari early next week, Massa could then make his return at the following race in Abu Dhabi for the 2009 season finale.
Interlagos, otherwise known as the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, was the scene of high emotional drama a year ago when Massa won the race in front of his ardent countrymen and for a few seconds seemed to have snatched Lewis Hamilton’s World Championship from the jaws of defeat – until the Briton accomplished a last-gasp pass before crossing the finish line.
D.B. © CAPSIS International
Source: GMM via F1-Live
