Felipe Massa is said to be in a "stable, satisfactory condition" after an accident at the Hungarian GP qualifying.

Massa's skull was fractured in two places and he suffered concussion in the high speed crash.

The Brazilian, 28, was hit on the head by flying debris before driving into a tyre wall in the second qualifying session at the Hungaroring.

He was treated at the track then underwent emergency surgery at Budapest's AEK military hospital where he will be kept under observation overnight.

A Ferrari official described the operation as a "success".

A hospital spokesman said: "At the time he was admitted to hospital his condition was stable and his breathing and blood circulation was normal.

"During the course of his examination they established that he had suffered serious, life-threatening injuries including loss of consciousness and a fracture of the forehead on the left side and a fracture on the base of the skull.

"After the operation he is being cared for in intensive care and now he is in stable, satisfactory condition."

The crash occurred in the final moments of the middle 15-minute period of qualifying, with Massa struck by a spring - which can weigh anything up to a kilogram - that had worked loose from Rubens Barrichello's Brawn GP.

The spring bounced along the Hungaroring track and flew over the front of Massa's Ferrari, striking the Brazilian on the helmet just over his left eye.

Massa appeared to be knocked unconscious, with his right foot jamming down on the throttle as he drove straight into a tyre barrier.

With the Brazilian stricken in the car, photographs later emerged showing a fist-sized dent in his helmet, and with the visor up, there was a large cut over a blackened left eye.

Massa was attended to by trackside medics before being taken to the circuit's medical centre, then on to hospital for further examination 22 minutes after his shunt.

The incident comes a week after Henry Surtees - son of former world champion John Surtees - was killed in an F2 race at Brands Hatch last Sunday when the 18-year-old was hit by a bouncing tyre from a rival car before then ploughing into a tyre wall.

It also revived memories of Ayrton Senna's death at Imola in 1994 when a piece of debris penetrated his helmet prior to the three-times world champion hitting a concrete wall at the Tamburello Curve.

Rubens Barrichello insisted the accidents this week were a warning that further improvements in safety can be made, despite the giant strides taken over the years since Senna's death.

"I honestly don't believe in coincidences in life," said the 37-year-old.

"Things happen for a reason and I think this is the second message.

"Imola was a message and the cars were improved. Unfortunately, we lost a boy (Surtees), which is tremendously sad.

"It is not a coincidence something happened right now. In the GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers' Association) we talked quite a lot about it yesterday - and something needs to be done. Yes. Absolutely.

"But I don't know what. We need to sit down and have a look at it.

"I think the cars are a hell of a lot safer, really a lot safer, but this is no coincidence and something needs to be looked at."

Barrichello will have been relieved to hear Massa is now stable following surgery, although at the time he was greatly concerned after seeing his compatriot at the circuit's medical centre.

"I looked at the impact, and it wasn't huge, and I said he was okay," remarked Barrichello.

"But then I asked somebody from Ferrari and they said he was not speaking very well, he was not actually talking to the team.

"Then I started to get worried.

"It was only later someone told me it was a bit of my car, but it had nothing to do with me going to see him. The fact is, I would have gone there anyway.

"I wanted to see him myself because I've been in situations like that.

"We are Brazilians and sometimes we have a family, sometimes we don't, and when we wake up all we want to see is someone we know.

"I wanted to be there in case there was nobody from his family there.

"But he was conscious, he was moving, although he was very agitated with the fact he had a cut on his head.

"With that, they sedated him to calm him down before they moved him to hospital."

Echoing Barrichello's sentiments, world champion Lewis Hamilton is also of the belief more can always be done to improve safety.

The 24-year-old recalled McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen's crash in qualifying in last year's Spanish Grand Prix.

On that occasion, the Finn also ploughed nose first into a tyre wall, albeit burying his McLaren underneath it, in contrast to Massa as the barrier fully absorbed the impact.

"During qualifying I saw the crash. It's very scary, and I do hope he is okay," remarked Hamilton.

"It has to be a big shock for any driver to have that happen, and very unfortunate because rarely do you see it happen.

"On the positive side, with the GPDA and the FIA, they seem to have made a good step with safety.

"If you look at Heikki's crash, he went under the barrier there in Barcelona, whereas here the barrier did quite a good job.

"I believe things happen for a reason, and for two incidents (referring to Surtees) to happen in such a short period of time, we can't ignore it.

"We've got to make sure we learn from it, and improve if we can."