Sunday June 11th, 2000

Ralf Schumacher, who injured his leg in Monaco a week ago, will fly to Montreal despite still suffering pain when walking and will decide this week if he is fit enough for next Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix.

"I will definitely fly to Montreal and decide whether I can drive on Thursday. At the moment walking is still very painful," Schumacher told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper in an interview.

The Williams driver, younger brother of Ferrari's Formula One drivers' championship leader Michael, gashed his leg after crashing heavily into barriers at the Monaco Grand Prix last Sunday and has been treated by a specialist in Cologne.

"I have already started to do some light exercises for shoulder, arm and throat muscles. But I can't put any weight on my leg yet," he said.

His manager Franz Tost has said the 24-year-old driver was unlikely to risk taking part in Canada unless fully recovered.

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