There is hardly a racing fan in the world who wasn't shocked by Felipe Massa's crash in the Hungarian Grand Prix and wishes him a speedy recovery. In case you're one of the uninformed few, I should advise you that he was hit in the helmet by a loosened spring from the suspension of Brawn driver Rubens Barrichello's F1 car. Massa suffered a fractured skull and minor facial injuries that will keep him out of racing for weeks if not the entire season.

Inevitably this leads to speculation over who will fill Massa's seat. Ferrari test drivers Luca Badoer and Marc Gene are obvious choices but some are suggesting a Michael Schumaker return. The great one shows no interest. And that brings us to a remarkable possibility: a one-race-only substitution of Fernando Alonso for the Valencia GP.

There are two good reasons for this. First, the FIA has suspended Renault from participating in the Spanish race, alledging that the French team sent Alonso out of the pits knowing there was a problem with a wheel attachment nut. The wheel came loose and could have become a dangerous weapon had it not run out of steam against a tire barrier.

Renault will appeal but if it loses, Spain will miss seeing its two-time world champion perform. Ticket sales will plunge. So imagine that Renault's team boss Flavio Briatore releases Alonso for this race and Ferrari agrees to put him in the cockpit as a preview of next year. Unlikely? Perhaps, but if this was a movie it would surely happen. Unfortunately (or fortunately) life isn't a movie.

PS: Renault chief executive officer Carlos Ghosn has dismissed media reports linking two-time world champion Fernando Alonso with a move to Formula One rival Ferrari. "He will continue to drive for Renault next year, if I have anything to do with it," Ghosn told French radio station Europe 1.

UPDATE: So much for my romantic notions of a Spanish world champion driving a Ferrari! Schumi is riding to the rescue, admitting that it is duty to support the team. He will drive in Valencia and possibly for the other seven races. No doubt his presence will be enough to stimulate sagging ticket sales if the ban against Renault survives the appeal. But can a retired champion return to the podium? Michael Schumaker, meet Lance Armstrong.