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Massa won't race in Hungarian GP
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ESPN.com news services

BUDAPEST, Hungary -- Felipe Massa underwent surgery after fracturing his skull in a high-speed crash Saturday at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The Italian team said the 28-year-old Brazilian driver will remain in intensive care, although it does not know how long he will stay under observation. He was conscious and in stable condition when he arrived at AEK hospital by helicopter with a concussion.

The crash occurred Saturday after a spring had fallen off another car and flew up and struck Massa in the helmet. An apparently dazed Massa continued driving over a curb and across the track. He went through the gravel area alongside the Formula One circuit before striking a tire-lined barrier.

The impact of the rear suspension part -- a standard component that Brawn GP team principal Ross Brawn believed was made of steel -- damaged the left side of Massa's helmet, ripping out the visor and leaving a long dent on its side. Blood was seen above Massa's left eye.

"Following a complete medical examination it emerged that he had suffered a cut on his forehead, a bone damage of his skull and a brain concussion," Ferrari said in a statement.

Rubens Barrichello, a fellow Brazilian, went to the medical center to check on Massa's condition and said the Ferrari driver appeared to be doing fine despite the cut above his left eye.

"I wanted to see him myself because I've been in situations like that," Barrichello said. "We are Brazilians and sometimes we have a family, sometimes we don't, and when we wake up all we want to see is someone we know. I wanted to be there in case there was not anybody from the family there.

"But he was conscious, he was moving and he was very agitated with the fact that he had a cut on his head. With that, they sedated him for him to calm down, and then they moved him to [the] hospital."

Massa appeared to regain consciousness just before the crash at Turn 4 as his front brakes seemed to lock before the violent impact.

He remained in the car for a considerable time and was assisted out before being taken to the medical center. He was then taken to the helicopter on a stretcher, wearing a neck brace.

The front of his Ferrari was shredded, with both tires having come off and the front nose open.

The crash comes less than a week after Henry Surtees, the son of former Formula One champion John Surtees, died in an F2 race on Sunday. Surtees was struck in the head by a tire from another car, causing him to lose consciousness and drive into a barrier.

"It is not a coincidence that something happened right now," Barrichello said. "Something needs to be done. Yes, absolutely."

No Formula One driver has died on the track since three-time champion Ayrton Senna's crash at Imola 15 years ago.

The accident was also reminiscent of Heikki Kovalainen's high-speed crash at last year's Spanish GP, when the McLaren driver slammed into a wall at high speed. Kovalainen spent the night in a hospital with a concussion.

"What happened to me in Barcelona was a very nasty accident. But I think it was a pretty freak accident and I don't know how to prevent that," Kovalainen said. "It was very unfortunate. But I think we should discuss it."

Surtees' death led drivers to discuss the issue of debris and head safety at length during their usual pre-race meeting on Friday.

Renault's Fernando Alonso took pole position for Sunday's race after qualifying was delayed for nearly 30 minutes because of Massa's accident.