Michael Schumacher was released this morning the Northampton General Hospital, where he had surgery following his accident at Silverstone last weekend. He left from a side entrance at Northampton General Hospital at around 10:00am.

A statement issued by the hospital said Schumacher had a quiet night, playing cards and watching television with wife Corina. "Michael was in extremely good spirits this morning. We're delighted with his progress. He's far more comfortable, his joints are moving well and he's not requiring splinting," said orthopaedic surgeon Bill Ribbans, who added: "As you can imagine he's desperate to get back to motor racing as soon as possible."

In a statement released as he left hospital, the Ferrari driver thanked fans for their support since the accident. He will now head to a private clinic in Switzerland.

On a different note - Formula One chief medical officer, Professor Sid Watkins, told reporters today how impressed he was with Schumacher's "presence of mind" moments after the crash. "He gave me two instructions - to call his wife to tell her he was alright, and the other to call Jean Todt and tell him the brakes had failed and to check the other car," said Watkins.