Massa undergoes surgery after crash in Hungary

A freak accident that left Brazilian driver Felipe Massa needing surgery after fracturing his skull overshadowed qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest.

Massa was struck on the helmet by a spring that had flown off rival Rubens Barrichello's car. The Ferrari driver who had been travelling at 170mph then ploughed into a tyre wall. He was eventually cut free and flown to hospital where he underwent surgery and was placed in intensive care.

The crash came less than a week after Henry Surtees, the son of former F1 champion John Surtees, died in an Formula 2 race after being hit by a loose tyre and hitting a barrier.

Back on the racetrack, Fernando Alonso grabbed a surprise pole position for his Renault team amid chaotic scenes afer the timing system failed with seconds left of qualifying.

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber start second and third in Budapest. McLaren's Lewis Hamilton finished in fourth position while Brawn's Jenson Button was eighth.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING:
Tom Cary, Sunday Telegraph: "Massa suffered a cut to his forehead, bone damage of his skull and brain concussion during qualifying yesterday after a loose piece of debris, thought to be part of the rear suspension from Rubens Barrichello's Brawn car, reared up and hit the 28-year-old flush on the helmet as he was travelling at roughly 170mph at the Hungaroring. Although he was able to apply his brakes, Massa ploughed straight through the corner and into a tyre wall at high speed, where he remained motionless for a time."

Alan Baldwin, Independent on Sunday: "The accident, which rules Massa out of Sunday's race at the Hungaroring, brought back grim memories of the crash that killed compatriot and triple champion Ayrton Senna at Imola in 1994. It also followed the death last Sunday of Briton Henry Surtees, 18-year-old son of Ferrari's 1964 Formula One champion John, who was killed by a loose wheel hitting him on the head in a race at Brands Hatch. Massa's red car, leaving streaking brake marks across the asphalt, ploughed straight on at turn four and into the tyre wall. The Brazilian, who appeared to have been knocked unconscious before the car left the track, was extracted and taken by ambulance to the circuit medical centre and then by helicopter to hospital."

Maurice Hamilton, Observer: "The qualifying session was stopped as Massa was removed to the track's medical centre and stabilised before being flown to hospital, where he successfully underwent emergency surgery. The hospital released a statement last night saying Massa's condition is serious but stable, adding that surgeons expect him to be awoken this morning after being kept sedated on a respirator overnight. The spring, weighing around 700 grammes, had somehow penetrated the top of his visor and injured Massa above the left eye, perilously close to the cornea." ·