The BMW-Williams F1 team says it will confirm its driver line-up for Sunday’s French Grand Prix “within the next few days”, but doctors who examined Ralf Schumacher in Germany on Tuesday say the injured driver is in “no condition” to race.
The BMW-Williams F1 team says it will confirm its driver line-up for Sunday’s French Grand Prix “within the next few days”, but doctors who examined Ralf Schumacher in Germany on Tuesday say the injured driver is in “no condition” to race.
The Grove-based F1 team has responded to reports that Ralf will skip the French and British Grands Prix by insisting no decision on the German’s participation at this year’s Magny Cours race had yet been taken.
A spokesman at Grove said confirmation on the driver line-up should be given “within the next few days” as the German is still suffering “slight injuries”. He added the decision depended on the result of “a number of (medical) checks”, most important of which would be a consultation with FIA chief medical officer Professor Sid Watkins.
Reports said official “reserve driver” Marc Gene would take the FW26’s wheel in France. These reports gained credence when
reported Ralf spent Tuesday at a clinic in Bad-Nauheim (near Frankfurt) where doctors said he was in “no condition” to race in F1.
Ralf’s manager Willi Weber said the younger Schumacher raced again too soon after suffering a similar concussion at Monza last year. “We want to get [Ralf] 100 per cent fit this time,” Weber was quoted as saying.