Felipe Massa could be out of hospital in less than a fortnight, according to the medical director of the hospital in Budapest where the Ferrari driver is receiving treatment following his crash during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
"We anticipate that Massa will leave the clinic on his own two feet, and if he continues to recover at the speed he is at the moment then that could be in 10 days," Peter Bazso told Hungarian television.
However, Dr Robert Veres, the head of the neurosurgery department at the AEK military hospital, said that it is to early to say how the injuries he sustained on Saturday might affect his future career, the local daily Nepszabadsag reported on Tuesday.
"Our institution was the assigned hospital for this year's Formula One race, and the doctor on duty in my department was informed of the competitor's injuries. We observed an open fracture to the left temple on the driver's head, and so after a CT scan we began a lifesaving operation that lasted two hours," Veres said.
"Massa suffered multiple fractures above his left eye socket, and we had to treat this injury. The examination results are reassuring, and we woke him up several times so that we could monitor his condition. In my opinion his life is no longer in danger. However, it is not yet possible to ascertain to what degree the eye injury could affect his future career," the surgeon said.
{{/usCountry}}"Massa suffered multiple fractures above his left eye socket, and we had to treat this injury. The examination results are reassuring, and we woke him up several times so that we could monitor his condition. In my opinion his life is no longer in danger. However, it is not yet possible to ascertain to what degree the eye injury could affect his future career," the surgeon said.
{{/usCountry}}Andor Grosz, deputy head of the AEK hospital in Budapest, told reporters early on Monday evening that Massa's condition had improved considerably.
"In the past 24 hours there have been significant changes, and his condition remains stable. He is effectively capable of communicating and we have taken him off the respirator. He remains extremely drowsy, but has no fever and can move his limbs. There is no need for further surgery and his condition is expected to further improve," Grosz said.
A spokesperson for Massa's family said at the same time that the driver had spoken to family members when he awoke, first asking what had happened to him.
The family scotched reports that they planned to transfer Massa to Paris for further treatment, and was satisfied with the treatment he has received in Budapest, the local news agency MTI reported.
Ferrari driver Massa suffered a skull fracture in a freak accident on Saturday when a spring from fellow Brazilian Rubens Barrichello's Brawn GP car broke loose and struck him on the helmet during a Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying session at Hungaroring.