Domenicali argued that Massa will hit the track in a Ferrari F60 as soon as he'll be cleared by the doctors to race. Whether that will happen this season or after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it is not known. However, in the optimistic case of Massa making a speedy recovery in due time, Ferrari want to make sure he'll get a few days of testing before racing at competitive level once again.
“We want to ask for a dispensation (for Massa) and I'm convinced the other teams will grant it to us,” Domenicali was quoted as saying in an interview with Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport.
In a recent report issued earlier this week, Massa admitted his perfect comeback into the sport would be at Abu Dhabi, if possible. However, it all depends on how he'll do during his recovery programme in the upcoming weeks.
As for the testing session, Ferrari have been turned down before – in the case of Michael Schumacher preparing for his F1 return – by Williams and Red Bull Racing. Frank Williams then argued that the rules are not to be challenged by anyone, regardless of the situation, so we're not sure on what exactly Domenicali is basing his hopes of being able to secure Massa a few days of testing.
Perhaps Williams has come to better feelings in recent weeks, especially since his team and Force India have been allowed to re-join the FOTA late yesterday.
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