Felipe Massa has been given the honour of waving the chequered flag at his home Brazilian Grand Prix next week.
The recovering Ferrari driver had already confirmed that he would be attending the Interlagos race to mark his first appearance in a Formula 1 paddock since sustaining serious head injuries during qualifying in Hungary just over two months ago.
And while his home event has come too soon for him to be ready to return to racing, organisers announced the local hero will be involved in the weekend in some capacity and will wave the flag at the end of the race. ITV
A Formula One spokesman said Thursday that Ferrari gave permission for Massa to wave the flag in his native Brazil.
Massa is trying to make a comeback from a life-threatening accident. On Sunday, his team received permission from motor racing’s governing body for him to test one of its cars. The Associated Press
Massa will become the third celebrity to wave the chequered flag at Interlagos in the past eight years, following in the footsteps of Pele and model Gisele Bundchen.
Hopefully, Massa will at least have his eyes on the conclusion of what could be the title decider, unlike Pele, who famously failed to carry out his duty.
The legendary footballer was looking the other way when Michael Schumacher beat his brother Ralf by half-a-second in 2002. CNN International
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