Rome, Sept 04: Ralf Schumacher left the San Rafaele Hospital in Milan yesterday after crashing his Williams-BMW during testing at Monza.
Schumacher's car was badly damaged in a crash yesterday but he was conscious when he arrived at the track's medical centre before being transferred to hospital.

He signed a document to check out against the advice of doctors who wanted him to undergo further tests. A hospital spokesman said Schumacher will need a week of complete rest.
"Ralf suffered an accident at the end of the afternoon session when he spun off the circuit at one of the Lesmo corners," Tim Newton, BMW-Williams test team manager, told the team's website. "The cause of the accident is not yet known but is under investigation."
His car had caught fire in the pit lane earlier in the day. Marshals moved in quickly with fire extinguishers and put out the blaze which was believed to have been caused by an oil leak.



Schumacher is fourth in the championship with three races to go, 14 points behind his brother Michael who leads Ralf's Williams team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya by one point and Mclaren's Kimi Raikkonen by two points.



Williams lead Ferrari in the constructors' championship by eight points. The Italian Grand Prix takes place on September 14.


Bureau Report