MAY 24, 2001

Schumacher accident forces a rest

RALF SCHUMACHER was forced to go to bed on Thursday afternoon after injuring himself in a crash at the end of the second practice session in Monaco.

It is believed that Schumacher could have suffered injuries to his shoulder or neck in the crash, and he is resting before Saturday's qualifying session.

But Williams were confident of improvement after both Schumacher and team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya had clashes with the barriers.

Before Schumacher's crash, Juan Pablo Montoya stopped the second session when he hit the barriers going into La Rascasse. But technical director Patrick Head saw the two incidents as minor setbacks.

"I am sure we can recover from this position," said Head. "but two cars hitting the barriers is not an ideal way to finish the first day of practice.

Both drivers admitted they had made a mistake to cause the incidents.

"I lost the car under braking and hit the barrier," explained a disappointed Montoya, while Schumacher added: "The accident was my fault as I was going too quickly.

"The only fortunate thing about the accident was that it happened just before the end of the session."