Michael Schumacher will not be racing at the European Grand Prix in Valencia after all. In a statement on his website, Schumacher has said that he told the Ferrari team last night that he was not fit enough to replace Felipe Massa thanks to the neck injury he suffered when he crashed his motorbike earlier this year.
“Yesterday evening I infomed Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo and team principal Stefano Domenicali that unfortunately I am not able to step in for Felipe,†the statement reads.
“I really did try everything to make that temporary comeback possible however much to my regret if didn t work out.
“Unfortunately we did not manage to get a grip on the pain in the neck which occurred after the private F1 day in Mugello, even if medically or therapeutically we tried everything possible.
“The consequences of the injuries caused by the bike-accident in February, fractures in the area of head and neck, unfortunately have turned out to be still too severe. That is why my neck cannot stand the extreme stresses caused by Formula 1 yet. These are the clear results of the examinations we did on the course of the past two weeks and the final examination yesterday afternoon.
“As there were no improvements after the day in Mugello, I decided at short notice on Sunday to do that thorough examination already yesterday.
“I am disappointed to the core. I am awfully sorry for the guys of Ferrari and for all the fans which crossed fingers for me. I can only repeat that I tried everything that was within my power. All I can do now is to keep my fingers crossed for the whole team for the coming races.”
Schumacher crashed his motorcycle during a German superbike test earlier this year. The crash was so big that he was forced to abandon his plans to race bikes. Schumacher had been scheduled to test a F2007 at Mugello again today however given his shock statement, it is unlikely that the test will go ahead.
It is currently uncertain who will now be replacing Felipe Massa in Valencia.
