Sergio Perez. Mexico's greatest driver since Pedro Rodriguez?

[strider]

Brain injuries are so difficult to judge. Felipe looks 100% now, but I came across the photo of him being carried away from the car the other day and it was a nasty injury.

I know it's going back a long time, but you can compare it with Stirling Moss's career-ending accident at Goodwood in 1961. He was in a coma for ages and his popularity was such that the nation metaphorically held its breath and willed him to survive.

After 12 months he felt that he was in good shape again and went back to Goodwood to find out. The lap times were okay, but he discovered that he was having to think about things that had previously come naturally, so he decided to call it a day. Since then Prof Sid Watkins has said that Stirling should have waited at least another 12 months and that if he had the decision could well have been different. He never remembers anything of his accident either.

It may be the same with Felipe. He's still not fully recovered and the sad thing is that if and when he is the hierarchy at Ferrari will be so firmly established that he won't have the chance to prove it.

[Peralta]

I don't think it was the accident at all. Some drivers don't give their 100% if they don't feel the team is. That an Alonso is just much quicker. Is as simple as that. But what's all this got to do with Checo?

[Teretonga]

Originally Posted by Bononi

I think it's quite possible.

In 1987, Nelson Piquet crashed heavily in Imola, same place where Senna died. He pushed on the next races and went on to win that season championship over Mansell, it was his third title. Many years after, he told that after that crash he never returned to be the same. He said he lost his sense of approach (or something like that) and started to look at the signs in the track before the corners to have a better perspective of the distance. That affected him permanently for the rest of his career though he fought against it until the end.
The difference about Massa is that he keeps saying that he doesn't remember a thing about the accident. But I guess that this is something subconscious.

Thats a significant note.
Piquet went to Indianapolis and had a significant shunt that left him with severe leg and foot injuries. If he was struggling with perception on corner approaches, running at 200mph (320kph) at Indy wouldn't have been a terribly easy thing to do...

[Bononi]

Originally Posted by Teretonga

Thats a significant note.
Piquet went to Indianapolis and had a significant shunt that left him with severe leg and foot injuries. If he was struggling with perception on corner approaches, running at 200mph (320kph) at Indy wouldn't have been a terribly easy thing to do...

Yes, you can read the whole story, including about the Indy crash in his book :

http://www.olivreiro.com.br/livros/8...bro-muito-bem#

[stripedcat]

I was just thinking about this, with regard to driver injuries, namely Kubica's. Before he had the accident, he was revered as a top driver and a possible world champion. Do people think he will be able to bounce back? Remember Johnny Herbert, before and after his accident in Formula 3000?

As for Perez, well his debut in F1 was amazing. Sad that he got disqualified.

[Super Hans]

Originally Posted by stripedcat

I was just thinking about this, with regard to driver injuries, namely Kubica's. Before he had the accident, he was revered as a top driver and a possible world champion. Do people think he will be able to bounce back? Remember Johnny Herbert, before and after his accident in Formula 3000?

It's impossible to say for certain whether he'll be back in F1 at all, let alone if he'll be back to his old rapid self. People have had their careers ended by lesser injuries so I think we'll just have to wait and see.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Don't wind up Ralf's Girl Marbot for goodness sakes......

Yes, further supporting evidence that Perez is a great driver in the making.

Again we need to see how he copes in some more vairbale conditions and whether he's even more adept on circuits he knows.

Sepang could well offer up as many of those variables as possible, and all in one race!

Amusingly just noticed this I posted a year ago!!

Look what happened 12 months later.

[Bononi]

Spot on Chuntz !


Let's see what the future brings...

[Born Racer]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Look what happened 12 months later.

And why are you not playing the predictions contest?

[bella]

six numbers between 1 and 49 please chunty

fingers crossed for the boy. thankfully that sauber is faster than it is attractive...