Into the Apex

The Long Road to Recovery

Masachika's recovery was a slow, grueling process—each small victory earned with sweat, determination, and quiet moments of doubt. He had been discharged from the hospital in December 2018, but the worst of his physical challenges was still ahead of him. The crash had left deep scars on his body, not just in the form of broken bones and damaged muscles, but in the lingering trauma that threatened to undo everything he had worked so hard for.

By the time he was discharged, he had learned to sit up and move short distances with assistance, but there was a vast difference between existing and truly living. The days felt long, and his body, once so used to the exhilaration of racing, now felt foreign and weak. He was grateful, but he couldn't help but wonder if he would ever feel truly whole again.

In January 2019, he was transferred to Austria to begin intensive physiotherapy. The clinic he was sent to was world-renowned—Dr. Klaus Engel's rehabilitation center, a place where athletes from all over the world came to recover from serious injuries. Dr. Engel was a legend, a man who had worked with Formula 1 drivers, Olympic athletes, and professional footballers. Masachika knew he was in capable hands, but he also knew that the road to full recovery wouldn't be easy.

The first weeks were filled with painful exercises. The hardest part wasn't the physical strain, but the mental struggle of coming to terms with just how far he had to go. Every time he attempted to move his left arm, he felt the deep ache of muscle memory, the sense that his body had forgotten how to move in the way he once had. His ribs, still tender from the crash, creaked and groaned under the weight of each breath. But Dr. Engel was relentless, pushing him to do more each day, urging him to keep going even when it seemed impossible.

It was in these moments that Masachika truly understood the power of perseverance. Every task, every movement, no matter how small, felt like a battle—yet it was a battle he was determined to win. With each day, his strength grew. His arm, though still restricted by a brace, began to move more fluidly. His legs, which had once felt like dead weight, regained their strength little by little.

But as his recovery progressed, another concern crept into Masachika's mind—Alya. She had been with him every step of the way since the crash in August 2018, never once leaving his side. Alya had been his constant, his rock, supporting him through the worst of it all. She had barely left his bedside, spending every moment with him, tending to his needs and helping him eat when he couldn't do it on his own. Her exhaustion was evident in the hollow circles beneath her eyes, the way her shoulders sagged as though the weight of the world rested on them. Masachika had seen her struggle to sleep, her weariness growing as the days passed.

Once he was able to move around on his own, albeit with a walker at first, he knew it was time for him to step up and do what he could to help her, even if it meant encouraging her to take a step back. He couldn't keep allowing her to pour every ounce of herself into his recovery without considering her own needs.

It was a tough conversation—one that didn't come easily to him. He had always been the one who needed help, the one who was weak, and now, suddenly, he found himself having to be the strong one. But as he looked at Alya, her tired face pale with exhaustion, he knew what had to be done.

"Alya," he said softly one evening, his voice hoarse from days of speaking little. "You've been here every single day, giving everything to me. But you need to rest now. You need to take care of yourself."

Alya was quick to protest, shaking her head. "I'm fine. I don't need a break. I can't leave you."

"I'm not going anywhere," Masachika replied, his voice firm despite the weariness in his own body. "You've given me everything I could ever ask for. But now, I need you to take care of yourself, even if it's just for a little while. You deserve that. Please."

Alya hesitated, her gaze flickering between him and the door as though torn between staying by his side and doing what he was asking of her. She finally nodded, reluctantly agreeing to take some time for herself. But she wasn't gone for long—just a few days, enough for her to sleep and eat without the constant worry that something might happen to him while she wasn't there.

Masachika was grateful for that time. He spent the next few days focusing on his recovery, gaining a bit more strength with each passing hour. He still had a long way to go, but it was in those quiet moments of solitude that he realized just how much Alya had sacrificed for him. It made him even more determined to get back on his feet—not just for himself, but for her, too.

In May 2019, after months of rehabilitation, Masachika was finally able to return to their apartment in Japan. It was a quiet place, filled with the warmth of memories. Though the road ahead was still uncertain, there was a comfort in being home, in being able to see Alya again without the constraints of hospital walls between them. They could finally begin to rebuild their life together, one step at a time.

But even as he settled back into his familiar surroundings, something lingered at the back of his mind. Racing. It was always racing. The thing that had defined his life, the thing that he loved more than anything else. He wasn't ready to give up on it—not yet.

And then, in June 2019, the phone call came.

It was a Friday morning, just after Masachika had finished a light workout session. He was sitting on the couch in their living room when the phone rang, its sudden noise startling him. The caller ID read "Williams Racing," and his heart skipped a beat. He knew this call was important.

He picked up the phone, his voice steady despite the anticipation building in his chest. "Hello?"

"Masachika," came the calm, professional voice on the other end. "This is Williams Racing. We've been closely monitoring your progress, and we're impressed with how far you've come. We wanted to ask—are you fit to race?"

Masachika took a deep breath. It was the moment he had been waiting for. "Yes," he said, his voice firm and clear. "I'm fit to race."

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before the voice continued, a hint of excitement in their tone. "That's great to hear. If you feel up to it, we'd like to offer you the second race seat starting from Hungary 2019 onwards. We believe you're ready to return to the track, and we'd love to have you back."

Masachika's heart swelled. After everything he had been through, after all the pain and struggle, the moment had finally come. He was going to race again. His dream wasn't over. "I'm ready," he replied, a smile tugging at his lips. "I'm ready to race."

As he hung up the phone, Masachika felt a rush of relief and determination flood over him. He wasn't just going to race again; he was going to show the world that he had come back stronger than ever. The road to recovery had been long, but now, with the green light to return to Formula 1, Masachika Kuze was ready to take on whatever the future had in store.