Wednesday June 7th, 2000

Ralf Schumacher, who suffered a leg injury in Monaco on Sunday, will decide next week if he is fit enough for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal on June 18.

"He still can't stand without being in pain," his manager Franz Tost said on Wednesday. "By Monday or Tuesday we'll be able to say if he can make it."

Tost said Schumacher was unlikely to risk racing in Canada unless he had fully recovered.

"I can't imagine Ralf taking strong pain-killers to be able to line up on the grid," Tost said. "You have to think about the later consequences."

Williams began testing at Monza in Italy on Tuesday with Jenson Button and Brazilian Bruno Junqueira, the man the 20-year-old Button 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 if he was unable to compete in Canada.

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