Massa denies accident has affected him

Felipe Massa does not believe that his near fatal crash during qualifying for the 2009 Grand Prix has affected him.

The Ferrari driver has failed to live up to the form that he showed before the incident and many have questioned whether that crash has affected him as a race car driver.

A quick comparison between Massa's post Hungary 2009 crash and afterwards shows why the question has been asked so frequently.

In 2008 Massa won six races, finished on the podium ten times and narrowly missed out on clinching the F1 World title to Lewis Hamilton.

In 2009 he had six top ten finishes to his name and a third place finish at the German Grand Prix, but unfortunately at the next race weekend he suffered him crash and went on to miss the remainder of the season.

He of course made a wonderful recovery to get behind the wheel again in time for the following season, but since his return at the start of the 2010 campaign Massa has failed to win a race, he has finished second just twice in the 2010 Bahrain GP and 2010 German GP, while he also stood on the podium after finishing third in Australia, Italy and Korea [all in 2010].

In 2011 he failed to finish higher than fifth and finished the season in 6th place and during the opening five races of 2012 Massa has just one top ten finish, a ninth place in Bahrain.

2010-2012 [to-date]

Races: 43

Wins: 0

2nd: 2

3rd: 3

Points: 264

His form clearly isn't good enough for Ferrari and they have firmly stated their stance, but Massa refusing to blame his loss of form on his crash.

When the question was put to him in a recent interview with Autosport Magazine Massa said: 'I have asked myself that 45,000 times and don't think I haven't, and why wouldn't I?

'Having won so much over three years, 11 races, the question is obvious. And it's not as though I only stuck to asking myself: I went looking for the answer, asking a whole host of questions and undergoing as many medical examinations.

'All the doctors I consulted are prepared to swear hand on heart that there are absolutely no traces of the impact with the spring.

'As for myself, I don't feel in any way different to the way I was before that weekend. For example, if it was true that I no longer had the same will to win as before or the same courage, then how can one explain the fact that, at the race start, I am probably still one of the best drivers and I am not the sort to hold back when it comes to overtaking?'

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