By PABLO GORONDI
Associated Press Writer
BUDAPEST, Hungary(AP) -- Ferrari's Felipe Massa says he is
preparing for a "very special weekend" when he returns to the
Hungarian Grand Prix and a circuit where he nearly lost his life
last year.
Last July, Massa's Ferrari hit a protective barrier after his
helmet was struck by a part that broke off another car during
qualifying. He was hospitalized for nine days in Hungary, placed
in an induced coma with multiple skull fractures and later had
plastic surgery in Brazil.
"My first meeting when I arrive at the Hungaroring circuit will
be with all the marshals and medical staff who did such a very
good job of carefully getting me out of the cockpit," Massa said
in his blog on the Ferrari website. "I want to thank these
people, with whom I now feel a special bond."
While the accident had made him "much more mature as a human
being," Massa said that as a driver he was the same as ever.
"On the professional front, nothing has changed, because once
you shut the visor and go out on the race track, you just do
everything as before, without thinking of the accident," he
said.
On a very different level, Massa will also be looking to turn
the page on events at last weekend's German Grand Prix at
Hockenheim when he appeared to allow teammate Fernando Alonso to
pass him and win the race.
The switch came after Massa was told by Ferrari on the radio
that "Fernando is faster than you, did you understand that
message?"
At the time, Alonso had 98 points and Massa just 67 in the
drivers' standings. Now Alonso has 123 points in fifth place and
is back in the title race, while the Brazilian is eighth with 85
points.
Ferrari was fined $100,000 for breaking the ban on team orders
that effect the result of a race and while the order of finish
was not changed, stewards sent the case to FIA's council for
further consideration.
Massa downplayed the incident, saying at the time he was not
"completely happy" with second place but denied being forced to
give up the lead.
Despite the fine and the possibility of further penalties,
Ferrari chief Luca Di Montezemolo expressed his support for the
team.
"With all the comments made recently, most of them misguided,
there is only clear and concrete truth - Ferrari is strong and
winning again," Di Montezemolo said on the Ferrari website.
Meanwhile, Formula One overall leader Lewis Hamilton will be
trying to win on the Hungaroring track for the third time in
four years Sunday.
"I love racing in Hungary. The circuit is quite a unique place -
it's got a reputation for being a slow track where it's
impossible to pass, but I don't really agree with that,"
Hamilton said. "Like Monaco, there's nowhere to relax and
because one corner always leads straight into the next, you're
really hustling the car the whole way. Which, when you've got a
good car, is good fun."
Hamilton's McLaren has performed well in 2010, allowing the
British driver to record two wins and four top-five finishes in
the last six races.
He leads the standings on 157 points, with teammate Jenson
Button second on 143 points. The two Red Bull drivers, Mark
Webber and Sebastian Vettel, each have 136 points.
The relationship between Hamilton and Button, the defending
world champion, has been smoother than predicted and certainly
more harmonious than between drivers on the other top teams.
Ferrari's issues at Hockenheim came after Vettel and Webber
collided at the Turkish Grand Prix and also had difficulties at
the British GP, when Webber pushed Vettel wide on the opening
lap and went on to win his third race of the season.
The Australian driver's success came despite having to compete
with an old version of the car's front wing - after the new
design was stripped off his Red Bull and given to Vettel.
The Hungaroring will be hosting its 25th Formula One race on
Sunday. It was included on the circuit's calendar for the first
time in 1986, when Hungary was still behind the Iron Curtain and
under communist rule.