Massa accident at Budapest F1 Qualifying 2009.

Right now Felipe Massa is counting his lucky stars. He is lucky to be alive after being hit in the head at over 100MPH with a piece of suspension which had detached from the Brawn GP car of Rubens Barrichello.

The aftermath of the accident was immediately reminiscent of the fatal accident of young racer Henry Surtees in Formula two just last week, whereby the driver was instantly killed after being hit on the head by a detached wheel from a fellow racers F2 car. Massa's car left the track in a straight line, seemingly under very mild braking and certainly no steering. When the cameras took onto the scene it was clear that Massa wasn't moving and hadn't left the vehicle. It wasn't for some time after that commentators confirmed that Massa was conscious and being moved to the helipad for a helicopter ambulance ride to the nearest hospital.

Subsequent replays show a cylindrical object hitting Massa in the face and apparently knocking him out or semi-conscious before ploughing into the tyre wall at some considerable pace.

It's doubtful he will be ready for the race tomorrow, but this depends very much in the doctors verdict on the severity of his concussion.