I'm changing my thread into general talk about the Season, but i'm keeping all the info about the Massa accident just so people can read it if they want.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current big news:[hide=]Flavio Briatore has left his position as boss of the Renault team after they decided not to contest charges of fixing the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

 

 

 

Executive director of engineering Pat Symonds has also left the team.

 

 

 

Renault were summoned by governing body, the FIA, after Nelson Piquet Jr claimed he had been asked to crash to help team-mate Fernando Alonso's race.

 

 

 

An FIA spokesperson confirmed a World Motor Sport Council hearing in Paris on Monday would go ahead.

 

 

 

Renault have been called to answer charges that they "conspired with Nelson Piquet Jr to cause a deliberate crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix with the aim of causing the deployment of the safety car to the advantage of its other driver, Fernando Alonso".

 

 

 

The hearing will attempt to attribute responsibility for the Singapore "crash-gate" despite the departure of Briatore and Symonds.

 

 

 

 

 

Briatore has lost his job over the Singapore race-fix charge

 

The FIA could still impose sanctions if Renault are found guilty, including excluding the team from the championship, although that must be considered unlikely given the two people Piquet said were responsible have now left the team.

 

 

 

When asked for his thoughts on Briatore's demise, Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone said: "Well, I feel sorry for him actually.

 

 

 

"Obviously, I am surprised at what has happened, and I am taken by surprise today that they've decided to walk away."

 

 

 

Piquet crashed in Singapore two laps after Alonso had come in for a routine pit stop.

 

 

 

That meant that when race officials sent out the safety car to clear up the debris from Piquet's car, Alonso was alone among the front-runners in not having to stop for fuel and tyres.

 

 

 

Renault's double world champion went on to take the chequered flag at Formula 1's inaugural night race and claim his first victory in two years.

 

 

 

At the time, Piquet attributed the crash to a simple error, but after being dropped by the team after July's Hungary GP the race-fixing allegations emerged.

 

 

 

The Brazilian has since testified to the FIA that he was instructed by Briatore and Symonds when and where to crash.

 

 

 

Renault's response was to accuse the 24-year-old and his father Nelson Piquet of false allegations and blackmail, going as far as saying they would begin legal action against them.

 

 

 

But on Wednesday the team said in a statement they would "not dispute the recent allegations made by the FIA concerning the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix".

 

 

 

ANDREW BENSON'S BLOG

 

F1 has long been notorious for its skewed sense of morality, and it appears that may be what has led to this latest scandal

 

 

 

The statement added: "The team also wishes to state that its managing director, Flavio Briatore and its executive director of engineering, Pat Symonds, have left the team."

 

 

 

BBC pundit and former team boss Eddie Jordan said he was surprised by Renault's announcement but believes it was effectively an admission of guilt.

 

 

 

"Suggesting they are not going to contest the allegations is in itself an admission," Jordan told the BBC.

 

 

 

"I don't know what goes on in teams, and certainly in the Jordan team you would contemplate all sorts of things, but you certainly couldn't contemplate that."

 

 

 

It remains to be seen whether this latest controversy, and the exit of Briatore and Symonds, will affect Renault's decision to stay in Formula 1.

 

 

 

Briatore had denied speculation that the French team's future was under threat and the team have signed a new Concorde Agreement to stay in F1 until 2012.

 

 

 

 

 

Symonds was Michael Schumacher's race engineer in the 1990s

 

But this latest controversy, coupled with a decline in cars sales, could yet have repercussions for the staff of around 700, who are are employed at the team's headquarters in Enstone, in Oxfordshire, and Viry-Chatillon in Paris.

 

 

 

Former grand prix winner John Watson told the BBC: "The fact that Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds have left the team was the only solution to Renault.

 

 

 

"A company on the scale of Renault, a world-scale motor company could not afford to have a scandal of this magnitude rattling around in the boardroom."

 

 

 

As it is, Renault's statement appears to end the F1 career of two of the sport's best-known protagonists.

 

 

 

Briatore became Benetton team principal in 1988 and when Renault bought Benetton in 2000 to run under its own moniker, the 59-year-old Italian was chosen to lead the team.

 

 

 

Symonds started his F1 career in 1981 at the Toleman team, which morphed into Benetton and Renault, and worked his way though the ranks to become executive director of engineering in 2001.

 

 

 

Briatore was also heavily involved in the teams' association Fota, as it sought to reach an agreement on the future of the sport with the FIA this season.[/hide]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Previous news:

 

Well, i'm not sure how many other tif users are motorsport fans, but to most motorsport fans, this week has been a major shock to the system, with the death of a very talented young driver, and yesterday, an accident that very nearly could have ended the life of another relatively young driver (and may have ended his career, but is still relatively unknown). This is a report from the BBC new sport website.

 

 

 

[hide=]

Felipe Massa's condition has been described as "serious but stable" following emergency surgery after he suffered skull damage and concussion.

 

 

 

The Brazilian hit a tyre wall after a spring from Rubens Barrichello's car flew up and hit Massa's helmet during Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying.

 

 

 

The Associated Press news agency quoted a hospital spokesman as saying Massa's condition was "life-threatening".

 

 

 

But Ferrari denied the reports, insisting the operation was "positive".

 

 

 

The Italian team said Massa will remain under observation in intensive care and Ferrari will make a further statement on his condition on Sunday.

 

 

 

AEK military hospital medical director Peter Bazso added: "At the moment he's under anaesthetic and will be woken up on Sunday."

 

 

 

AP quoted a statement from the Hungarian defence department as saying: "At the time he was admitted to hospital his condition was stable and he was breathing and blood circulation was normal.

 

 

 

"During the course of his examination they established that he suffered a serious, life-threatening injuries including loss of consciousness and a fracture of the forehead on the left side and a fracture on the base of the skull."

 

 

 

Barrichello said on his Twitter feed that he had visited his compatriot Massa in hospital and the surgery "went very well. Now he is asleep waiting for a new scan tomorrow".

 

 

 

The incident comes days after Formula Two driver Henry Surtees, 18, was killed in what was described as a "freak" accident during a race at Brands Hatch.

 

 

 

The son of motorsport legend John Surtees was struck by a wheel which flew off a competitor's car.

 

 

 

McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh

 

Massa - winner of 11 grands prix in his career - did manage to briefly apply the brakes as went off the Hungaroring track before his car ploughed head on into a tyre wall at around 125mph.

 

 

 

The 28-year-old was swiftly attended to by trackside medics before being taken to the circuit's medical centre after which he was airlifted to hospital.

 

 

 

Barrichello later led the calls for more stringent safety measures to be looked into.

 

 

 

Referring to Surtees, the veteran Brazilian refused to believe the two incidents were coincidental.

 

 

 

"I honestly don't believe in coincidences in life," he said. "Things happen for a reason and I think this is the second message.

 

 

 

"Imola [where Ayrton Senna died in 1994] was a message and the cars were improved. Unfortunately, we lost a boy [surtees], which is tremendously sad.

 

 

 

"It is not a coincidence something happened right now. In the GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers' Association) we talked quite a lot about it yesterday - and something needs to be done. Absolutely.

 

 

 

 

 

Something broke on my car - Barrichello

 

"But I don't know what. We need to sit down and have a look at it. I think the cars are a hell of a lot safer, really a lot safer, but there is no coincidence on this and something needs to be looked at."

 

 

 

Lewis Hamilton described the crash as "very scary" and said it must be looked into, while Jenson Button said it proved there "is still more we need to do on safety".

 

 

 

Button and Barrichello's team boss Ross Brawn said the team were "naturally concerned" about Massa's condition.

 

 

 

"We had a problem with the back of the car and we are still investigating," he added.

 

 

 

"We haven't had the piece back from [motorsport governing body] the FIA yet so once we get it back we can understand what occurred.

 

 

 

"It's the first time we've really had a problem with the car as it's been so reliable."

 

 

 

McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh added: "What happened today was a shock.

 

 

 

"We've got to make sure we do everything we can to make F1 as safe as it can be.

 

 

 

"But a spring coming off and being in a collision four seconds later is an incredible circumstance and coincidence.

 

 

 

"You have to remember that motor racing is dangerous and that racing drivers are incredibly brave. It's all too easy to become blase about that."

[/hide]

 

 

 

A report into the Accident involving Henry Surtees erlier in the week:

 

[hide=]

The son of motorsport legend John Surtees has been killed in a "freak" accident during a Formula Two (F2) race at Brands Hatch in Kent.

 

 

 

Henry Surtees, 18, was flown to the Royal London Hospital after he was struck by a wheel which flew off Jack Clarke's car.

 

 

 

His father, John, who won the Formula One World Championship in 1964, said Henry would be "deeply missed".

 

 

 

"Henry had followed his heart from the time he first sat in a kart," he added.

 

 

 

'Loving son'

 

 

 

Mr Surtees, of Surrey, who is the only man ever to have been world champion on two wheels as well as four, said: "He treated seriously the balance between motorsport and school, having just finished his A-levels.

 

 

 

"The world beckoned and he was thriving on the freedom to concentrate on his motorsport.

 

 

 

"Despite bad luck in his motorsport, he had shown himself to be one with the possibilities of reaching the very top."

 

 

 

 

 

He added: "Despite his young age he had shown maturity, technical understanding and speed.

 

 

 

"Most importantly he was a nice person and a loving son. He will be deeply missed."

 

 

 

Sunday's race was red-flagged while Surtees was removed from the scene.

 

 

 

The accident happened between the circuit's Westfield Bend and Sheene Curve.

 

 

 

Clarke's car hit a tyre wall and a wheel came off, hitting Henry Surtees on the head and knocking him unconscious.

 

 

 

'Dangers we face'

 

 

 

The teenager's car then struck the trackside barriers.

 

 

 

A spokeswoman for South East Coast Ambulance Service said Surtees had been taken from the scene by helicopter.

 

 

 

On Saturday, he had claimed his first F2 podium finish, coming third in the opening race of the Brands Hatch weekend.

 

 

 

World Touring Car driver Andy Priaulx, who was at the Kent race circuit on Sunday, said: "Our sport can be cruel, but never crueller than when it claims a life. It is a tragedy when this happens and yesterday we witnessed this at Brands Hatch.

 

 

 

"Henry Surtees was a fine young man on the verge of his career in the sport, who I had the pleasure to tutor when he was racing in Formula BMW.

 

 

 

"His death highlights the dangers that we face."

 

 

 

He added: "My heart goes out to his parents, Jane and John Surtees. John is one of my motor racing heroes who has achieved so much over his life in the sport.

 

 

 

"As a driver and also a father of a son who may one day want to follow my footsteps into the sport, it is hard to imagine coming to terms with such a loss."

 

 

 

'Freak accident'

 

 

 

David Croft, the BBC's Radio 5 Live motorsport correspondent, said it was "a freak, deeply tragic and horrible accident that can happen in what is a dangerous sport".

 

 

 

He said: "A few hundredths of a second later, Henry Surtees would have been fine.

 

 

 

"Sadly, he was coming up to the tyre right at the moment it bounced into the air.

 

 

 

"He was very much an up-and-coming star. Good things were expected of him."

 

 

 

No-one from Brands Hatch was available for comment.

 

 

 

[/hide]

 

 

 

My thughts are with both of the families, esepcially the Surtees family, but also with the Massa family, as it still isn't 100% clear what the consiquences of his accident are.

 

 

 

But it throws up a very interesting question, are these two completely coincidental accidents, or can there be some safety changes which can come out of those two horrific accidents?

 

 

 

I'd also like to add, this will add a great shadow over today's GP, which is personally one of my favorite races of the year.

It was mental. I was watching it and I was so shocked at what happened.

 

I'm sure that safety rules will need to be changed now since one death and one near-fatal accident has happened. I am always sure that conspiracies are about the place so I don't think it was a coincidence that these two crashes would happen but I'm like that so I cannot be entirely sure. I find it strange that it would happen in the same week, it is too... close for me.

There's little more you can do to protect F1 drivers, the very nature of the F1 car leaves the head and neck prone and that will always leave a possibility that a driver can be seriously injured.

 

 

 

According to the news channels, the bit of Barrichello's suspension broke through the visor, hit Massa just above his eye (which I presume would be the brow area) and fractured the skull. He supposedly has had an operation and is stable. If it did hit him on the brow rather than the eye socket then he should have a better chance as that area is one of the skull's thicker areas. He also has to be thankful that the helmet technology has improved so much, he would certainly have died from a similar debris impact in years gone by.

 

 

 

It's odd that these things happen in two's. Those old enough to have even a vague memory of 1994 will remember how Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna both died at Imola in horror crashes. In fact, Ratzenberger died in qualifying and after they got Senna out of his car after Senna's crash, they found a folded up Austrian flag that he was going to unfold as a tribute to Ratzenberger.

There's little more you can do to protect F1 drivers, the very nature of the F1 car leaves the head and neck prone and that will always leave a possibility that a driver can be seriously injured.

 

 

 

According to the news channels, the bit of Barrichello's suspension broke through the visor, hit Massa just above his eye (which I presume would be the brow area) and fractured the skull. He supposedly has had an operation and is stable. If it did hit him on the brow rather than the eye socket then he should have a better chance as that area is one of the skull's thicker areas. He also has to be thankful that the helmet technology has improved so much, he would certainly have died from a similar debris impact in years gone by.

 

 

 

It's odd that these things happen in two's. Those old enough to have even a vague memory of 1994 will remember how Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna both died at Imola in horror crashes. In fact, Ratzenberger died in qualifying and after they got Senna out of his car after Senna's crash, they found a folded up Austrian flag that he was going to unfold as a tribute to Ratzenberger.

thats marcarber :?

 

but man,back in 2003,felipe was one of my racing idols,together with micheal schumacher

I saw this, how godamn unlucky can you get?

I saw this, how godamn unlucky can you get?

 

He is lucky tho. Had he been hit in the visor he'd mostly likely been dead (i'm thinking eyes - brain).

 

I wonder who'll race instead of him until he can get back up.

It was mental. I was watching it and I was so shocked at what happened.

 

I'm sure that safety rules will need to be changed now since one death and one near-fatal accident has happened. I am always sure that conspiracies are about the place so I don't think it was a coincidence that these two crashes would happen but I'm like that so I cannot be entirely sure. I find it strange that it would happen in the same week, it is too... close for me.

 

 

 

I don't really see how anyone can develop a plausible conspiracy theory to this. These were cars traveling speeds upwards of 100 MPH, how can they have it so perfect that a tyre comes off, kills another driver and a spring comes off, severely injuring another driver.

 

 

 

I personally think it's nothing more than a coincidence, it's just a very sad weekend for the Motor racing world.

Its a shame really, if he has suffered brain damage i doubt he will ever race again. He could still have become F1 champion if Ferrari got their act together.

This is a horrid accident and he's not out of the woods yet unfortunately :(

 

 

 

It's such a freak accident that this would never happen again even if you physically tried to replicate it, although I bet that was said after last week's accident too :(

 

 

 

Hopefully he'll be fine, will be horrid if he doesn't make it through this, especially as he has a child on the way :(

I saw it and still can't believe it happened. What are the chances of a piece falling off a car, bouncing down the track and then being in the exact position and right height to hit Massa in the head. Could have been a whole lot worse had he not slowed down the car and down shifted, that shows just how amazing these drivers are.

 

There will be calls for extra protection for drivers but there's nothing that can be done that wont mess up the cars and they were both freak accidents.

 

My thoughts are with both families and hopefully we wont lose a second amazingly talented driver in less that two weeks :(

I got incredibly scared in the race today when Alonso's car had the wheel disk fly off and then the whole wheel fly off, i couldn't help think we were going to have a third incident.

 

 

 

Seems like things were worse than first thought, with him now being kept under sedation for 48 hours with a fractures to his skull. I heard that the spring had carved a 4 inch slice out of his helmet, that really is scary.

 

 

 

The big wonder is now, with a 4 week break untill the next GP, will there be any chance of him returning for it.

I'm not sure he will be returning for the GP in Valencia, skull fractures have a habit of taking a long time to recover from.

There is still many things which could go against him when he returns to a state of normality. Any numoerous key areas of his brain could be effected, motor skills, responsiveness, vision (considering where it struck him) etc. Not to mention, how close he's come to death and the fact he has a kid on the way, he mightn't even return to F1 as a driver.

I saw it and still can't believe it happened. What are the chances of a piece falling off a car, bouncing down the track and then being in the exact position and right height to hit Massa in the head. Could have been a whole lot worse had he not slowed down the car and down shifted, that shows just how amazing these drivers are.

 

There will be calls for extra protection for drivers but there's nothing that can be done that wont mess up the cars and they were both freak accidents.

 

My thoughts are with both families and hopefully we wont lose a second amazingly talented driver in less that two weeks :(

 

 

 

Did Massa actually get a chance to do anything? I believe the moment the spring hit him he was knocked out and his feet both slammed on the brakes and the accelerator which is why his car was in full throttle as he went into the wall and continued to be for a few seconds afterwards. Either way he certainly was unconscious before he hit the tyre wall.

Truly tragic. They should have check the F1 car better, how does a spring just come off like that? It's unacceptable.

 

 

 

There's little more you can do to protect F1 drivers, the very nature of the F1 car leaves the head and neck prone and that will always leave a possibility that a driver can be seriously injured.

 

 

 

What more can you do (I assume now cockpit wise) before they can't even see the track? If you can provide perhaps a graphic design then okay, but I really think the F1s are designed well.

Truly tragic. They should have check the F1 car better, how does a spring just come off like that? It's unacceptable.

 

 

 

There's little more you can do to protect F1 drivers, the very nature of the F1 car leaves the head and neck prone and that will always leave a possibility that a driver can be seriously injured.

 

 

 

What more can you do (I assume now cockpit wise) before they can't even see the track? If you can provide perhaps a graphic design then okay, but I really think the F1s are designed well.

 

 

 

That's my point, there is little more that can be done to protect somebody in an F1 car. They're designed perfectly for what the do -go fast (they're basically upside planes). My point was that because they're designed so perfectly for speed (with an open cockpit) there is always a small opportunity that a driver's head or neck can be hit in a freak incident like this. I didn't mean that they were designed badly, just that there is always a possibility of a fluke accident like Massa's.

The spring coming off in itself is a freak incident, it's never happened before and it'll never happen again.

 

 

 

There's a lot of things on an F1 car, any single thing could have caused it to happen or even perhaps a lot of little things.

I wonder who'll race instead of him until he can get back up.

 

 

 

That will be Michael Schumacher.

Michael Schumacher will make a shock return to Formula 1 to replace injured Ferrari driver Felipe Massa.

 

 

 

The seven-time world champion, 40, retired at the end of 2006 but has agreed to drive at the European Grand Prix in Valencia on 23 August.

 

 

 

Massa fractured his skull in Hungarian GP qualifying and may be out for the rest of the year.

 

 

 

Schumacher, who is a Ferrari advisor said; "For team loyalty reasons I can't ignore this unfortunate situation."

 

 

 

His spokesman Sabine Kehm told the BBC on Tuesday that although Schumacher was not willing to make a full-time return to F1 he would not rule out standing in for Massa.

 

 

 

606: DEBATE

 

I hope he comes back, decides he still loves it and wins the championship next year

 

 

 

Contented_fan

 

 

 

Now, the German racing legend has decided to come out of retirement and make a sensational return despite admitting: "It is true that the Formula 1 chapter has long been closed for me.

 

 

 

"The most important thing first: thank God, all news concerning Felipe is positive, and I wish him all the best again.

 

 

 

"This afternoon I met with team principal Stefano Domenicali and Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo and together we decided that I will prepare myself to take the place of Felipe.

 

 

 

"As the competitor I am, I also very much look forward to facing this challenge."

 

 

 

The German racing legend has not driven an F1 car since April 2008 and now has just over three weeks to prepare himself for Valencia.

 

 

 

The ban on in-season testing means Schumacher will not be able to turn a wheel of the 2009 specification Ferrari before first practice on Friday 21 August.

 

 

 

However, the team have chosen Schumacher ahead of test drivers Marc Gene and Luca Badoer to drive for Ferrari whilst Massa continues to recuperate.

 

 

 

"Ferrari intends to entrust Michael Schumacher with Felipe Massa's car for as long as the Brazilian driver is not able to race," a statement said.

 

 

 

"Michael Schumacher has shown his willingness and in the next few days he will undergo a specific programme of preparation at the end of which it will be possible to confirm his participation in the championship starting with the European Grand Prix."

 

 

 

I think this is a great idea, it shows Schumacher is still in love with F1 and I hope he loves F1 and win the Championship next year.

I wonder who'll race instead of him until he can get back up.

 

 

 

That will be Michael Schumacher.

 

Checked the F1 site and you're correct.

 

Even tho he is my favorite all-time driver, from back "in the days" with Häkkinen (i'm just 21), i think they should give someone else a go. I understand their decision, as they want someone experienced... But i'd prefer if they gave some young guy a shot instead.

Ferrari want the points to secure 3rd in the Constructors Championship ahead of Toyota and McLaren so in my eyes it had to be either Schumacher or Alonso. It's going to make for some very interesting races and maybe bring the best out of Raikkonen and we finally get to see Hamilton vs Schumacher. Of course I'd like to see Massa back as soon as possible though :pray:

He's only returning to replace Massa until Massa is able to drive again and not returning full time. I'd imagine if Massa can't race again then Ferrari will sign Alonso or maybe Kubica for next season.

 

It will be good to see him racing again though! Might bring out the best in Raikkonen.

hope he wins the next race,go michael! :thumbsup:

It'll be interesting to see how he performs after so long out of the sport.

He doesn't need F1, he can pretend to be The Stig some more.