Tuesday June 6th, 2000

Ralf Schumacher could miss this month's Canadian Grand Prix because of a leg injury the Williams driver suffered in Monaco at the weekend.

The German gashed his leg after crashing heavily into barriers at the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday.

"The doctors told me I must have complete rest for two/three days. At present I am still not in a position to tell if I will be at the start of the Canadian Grand Prix," Schumacher said on Tuesday.

"We are trying our best to speed up the recovery process."

The Canadian race is in Montreal on June 18.

Schumacher, who is resting at home in Monaco, had a check up at the Princess Grace Hospital in the principality on Monday night to make sure there were no remaining pieces of carbon fibre or metal in the wound. There were none.

"Last night I slept quite well because the pain had decreased a bit but I am still unable to put any weight on my leg," the 24-year-old said.

Williams began testing at Monza in Italy on Tuesday with Jenson Button accompanied by Brazilian Bruno Junqueira, the man the 20-year-old Briton beat for the full Formula One drive before the start of the season.

A team spokeswoman said it was too early to talk about who might replace Schumacher in the team if he is unable to compete in Canada.

Junqueira, who currently leads the FIA's F3000 championship after winning the last three races in a row, is the BMW-powered team's official test driver.