Throwback: Felipe Massa released from hospital after frightening test crash

It was Wednesday, February 4, 2004, 9:10 am., when Felipe Massa sent his Sauber through the first corner of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. 

Just two laps after the Brazilian set the fastest time during the test day, the right front suspension of his Sauber C23 suddenly gave way.

The wheel and suspension detached from the chassis, and Massa could do nothing more. At an estimated speed of about 290 kilometres per hour, the Sauber skidded off the track and drilled into the tyre wall.

Striking, and fortunate, was that Massa remained conscious throughout the incident. He climbed out of the car himself, although he reported feeling dizzy after the impact. 

Over the radio, he let his team know what had happened, a sign that he was lucid enough to assess the situation.

However, the medical team took no chances. Massa was taken by helicopter to the General Hospital of Catalunya in Sant Cugat, near Barcelona, for examination. It was a precautionary measure, but one that highlighted the seriousness of the crash.

Massa's hospital visit

After examination at the hospital, Massa declared himself healthy. "Not a single scratch on my body," he revealed. 

Initially, he expected to be released after a few hours, but doctors kept him under observation longer for further checks. In the end, he was released unharmed, much to the relief of the entire team.

Sauber immediately cancelled the remaining test programme for the day. The damaged chassis was returned to the factory in Hinwil, Switzerland, for thorough examination. 

Hanspeter Brack, head of communications at Sauber, stressed that there was no fault on Massa's part. "Our engineers say it was not due to driver error," Brack said. "We need time to analyse the car and parts."

For Massa, the crash was a warning shot, but he would continue in action for Sauber as usual that season. 

Five years later, in 2009, the world would stop again when Massa was struck by part of the suspension of Rubens Barrichello's Brawn during qualifying in Hungary, an incident with far more serious consequences.