» Massa unlikely to return for Abu Dhabi

Felipe Massa has all but confirmed that that he will not race in Formula One again this season. The Ferrari driver, who was injured during the Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying, has so far missed five Grands Prix as the road to recovery continues.

Although Ferrari Team Principal Stefano Domenicali has also said that the recuperating Massa will not be returning in 2009, Felipe recapped in a Ferrari web chat with fans on Thursday. "I hope that I’ll be back soon but I also know that the best thing is that I’m coming back 100 percent at the start of the next season," he said.

Having arrived in Maranello on Monday and spent time in the Modena simulator on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Brazilian travels to French capital city Paris on Friday in order to undergo more medical checks before a return to a 2007 Formula One cockpit in Italy early next week.

"I’ll go to Paris for some medical check-ups at the FIA and on Monday, if the weather is fine, I should finally be behind the wheel of a Formula 1 single seater," he typed. "I hope that I can do many miles and do them well, not only in terms of performance but also as far as constant lap times are concerned."