11/10/2009
NEWS STORY
Ahead of his much anticipated return to the F1 cockpit tomorrow, albeit in a 2007 car fitted with GP2 tyres, Ferrari has ruled out any hope of Felipe Massa taking part in the forthcoming Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
On the team's own website, looking ahead to the test, the Maranello outfit commented: "Tomorrow's event is significant but in no way does it signify a return to competition in the near future.
"In fact," it continued, "based on a previously taken decision and after an informal medical examination in Paris a few days ago, which proved rather positive, but not enough to endorse a return to competition in the next two months, Felipe and the team want to proceed gradually and without any hurry to recover as well as possible from the effects of the accident that happened in Budapest back in July. Therefore talk of a proper return to Formula 1 can wait until the start of the 2010 season and only at that time will the medical checks be carried out, as required by the FIA in order to allow someone who has been injured to return to racing."
Looking specifically at tomorrow's test, the team said: "This is in no way a proper test session and looking at the stopwatch will not be on the agenda - there will be plenty of time for that in 2010, when, alongside Fernando Alonso, Felipe will begin development work of the new single-seater.
"It is simply an opportunity for Felipe, at the wheel of a privately owned F2007, run by staff of Ferrari's F1 Clienti department, to renew his acquaintance with his natural environment, namely the race track."