World champion Michael Schumacher walked away from a high-speed crash during testing at the Monza track in Italy today.
Early reports say the 32-year-old crashed his Ferrari at around 120 mph and was sent into a barrel roll. He is believed to have hit a wall at the Lesmo curve, losing both front wheels in the accident.
Schumacher's brother, Ralf, who was testing his Williams-BMW at the same time, immediately stopped on the track after seeing his brother's crashed car.
Schumacher, who leads the championship standings by 37 points with six races left, was brought back to the medical centre for a precautionarycheck-up in the safety car.
The damaged Ferrari was towed back half an hour after the incident, covered in a red tarpaulin. The car and the bits of debris were immediately carried into the Ferrari garage and the shutters put down.
The triple champion looked none the worse for his accident.Two years ago, Schumacher broke his legs in a crash at the British Grand Prix that left his title dream in tatters.
PA