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Niki Lauda and David Coulthard said Felipe Massa's freak 170mph accident in Hungary was a "wake-up call" for Formula One.

The popular Brazilian lay in an induced coma in intensive care yesterday, with no word yet on whether he will be able to make a full recovery. The accident came six days after Henry Surtees, son of F1 legend John Surtees, was killed by a flying wheel at Brands Hatch.

The FIA have already launched an investigation into how Massa was hit by a suspension spring from Rubens Barrichello's car during Saturday's practice session.

And F1 ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone said moves will be made to improve helmet safety even though the 28-year-old's head protection was already strong enough to take the full weight f an army tank or a speeding bullet.

Massa, who had surgery on a fractured skull on Saturday, was briefly brought out of his induced coma yesterday morning for doctors to do a new CT scan. They reported "no further complications" before putting him under for another two days.

"It is a wake-up call for every-one,said former world champion Lauda. "The human brain is so stupid it forgets how dangerous this sport is.

"Since the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger [in 1994] we have had little more than a broken finger, more or less.

"It was an accident waiting to happen. This sport is dangerous. If you drive these cars at these speeds it is dangerous.

"It is an alarm call from somebody up there. It is an alarm call to all of us not to think that this sport is safe and that no-one will get hurt. To be hit by a spring weighing nearly a kilo at 175mph is like getting hit by a ton of metal. Nobody makes a helmet for this kind of accident.

"You can't. If it had come a little further into the centre there is no way he would have survived. He was lucky. We have been lucky for the past 15 years since Senna."

Retired F1 ace Coulthard added: "Helmets are 10 per cent stronger this year - maybe last season the accident would have been fatal.

"Motorsport will never be 100 per cent safe; life is not 100 per cent safe."

Lauda called on Ferrari legend Michael Schu-mache(inset) to come out of retirement to lead the team he took to a record five successive world titles.

"If it was my choice he would be the first person I would call," said triple champion Lauda. "Even coming back from retirement he is a better choice than anyone out there."

There were emotional scenes yesterday as Massa's father Luis, mother Ana Elena, and pregnant wife Raffaela went straight to Budapest's AEK Hospital from an overnight flight from Brazil and were met by Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali Saturday's qualifying session was the first Massa's father had missed in 115 Grands Prix covering seven years.

Family, friends, and the entire sport now wait to hear if Massa can make a full recovery.

The dreadful reality is that with a fractured skull and serious damage to his left eye it is too early to know when, even if, he will return.

Ecclestone who has visited Massa twice in hospital, said: "It is terrible when something like this happens and we will take it very seriously, but it does seem to have been a freakish accident. We all hope Felipe will be back as soon as he is fully fit."

McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh believes that the Surtees and Massa crashes should prompt a reaction to match the events that followed the deaths of Senna and Ratzenberger.

"The events of 1994 contributed to a lot of big steps forward in safety, and I think we have to go again," he said.