Ralf Schumacher was recovering in hospital on Wednesday after crashing his Williams-BMW in testing at Monza.
Schumacher’s car was badly damaged in the crash on Tuesday but he was conscious when he arrived at the track’s medical centre before being transferred to hospital in Milan.
He was accompanied by his brother Michael when he was taken to the San Rafaele hospital.
”Ralf suffered an accident at the end of the afternoon session when he spun off the circuit at one of the Lesmo corners. He is currently undergoing precautionary medical checks,” 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 teammate 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. — Sapa-AFP