Analysing Massa's amazing recovery

One of the 'hot' topics in Bahrain was how Felipe Massa would fare upon his return from injury. Those who witnessed the effects of the wayward spring off Rubens Barrichello's Brawn which pierced the Brazilian's helmet, causing serious head injuries, were unequivocal in their praise for his qualifying. It was good enough to place his Ferrari on the front row, ahead of 2005/6 world champion Fernando Alonso - driving a car identical in every respect, including fuel load and tyre choice.

"Watching the whole thing develop since his injury, I was not surprised", he said. "But what is important is that in all my experience, this is probably one of the most surprising, if not the fastest, recoveries from a life-threatening head injury I have ever seen."

Olvey puts this down to the entire treatment chain, from trackside care through to Massa's rest and recuperation at home in Brazil. Plus the chirpy Ferrari driver's emotional and mental strength. Although careful to respect doctor/patient confidentiality, he spoke to AUTOSPORT about the recovery.

"I think the reasons are the excellent care he received at the scene, the excellent care he received in Hungary, the follow-up care in Brazil, then his competiveness, physical fitness and energy levels in general, and his desire to get back to being competitive again," he said. "You know, we're talking [here], it's only been barely seven months and he's back at the same level that he was prior to the injury."

The accident was, of course, freakish. This realisation, too, greatly aided the recovery process.

"Massa has no qualms about returning to competition," says Olvey. "That was a freak accident, he considers it a freak accident, and he has not and does not let it bother him since the accident. He didn't dwell on the past, he just looked at the future. I know there are people who thought he wouldn't be able to drive this soon, this season. But I knew early on, I felt that he could easily make it because of the things I spoke about [above].