Double world champion Michael Schumacher will not race in the last two grands prix of the season, his Ferrari team announced yesterday.
The 30-year-old German, recovering for a double fracture of his leg, is still suffering from a painful right knee injury.
He has missed five races since his accident at Silverstone. "Michael Schumacher informed Ferrari he had decided not to race in the last two grand prix races because he said he was not in a good enough physical condition," Ferrari said.
Flamboyant Italian racer Valentino Rossi extended his championship lead in winning a fluctuating Australian 250cc grand prix yesterday.
Rossi (20) coming off the second row, led for most of the 25 laps around the Phillip Island circuit, dicing with Japan's Tohru Ukawa and Frenchman Oliver Jacque before winning by 0.045 seconds.
It was Rossi's seventh win of the season and pushed his world championship lead out to 35 points over Ukawa and defending world champion Loris Capirossi.
Rossi, who won last year's Phillip Island 250cc GP, has three races left in the season to claim his first 250cc world title having won the 125cc championship in 1997.
