Ralf Schumacher injured his shoulder during a jet-ski competition. Despite a fracture requiring surgery, he plans to be present in Monza.
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Ralf Schumacher experienced a rather unusual mishap just days before the Italian Grand Prix. The former Formula 1 driver was injured during a jet-ski competition held in Duisburg and will have to undergo surgery.
The German, now a consultant for Sky Germany, suffers from a shoulder dislocation accompanied by a small fracture.
Despite this injury and his surgery, Schumacher hopes to quickly resume his activities and be present in the Monza paddock as early as this weekend.
An accident during a televised competition
The incident occurred during the celebrity jet-ski world championship organized by German host Stefan Raab, an event broadcast live on television.
Schumacher had performed particularly well in the individual competition as he managed to qualify for the final, although he did not manage to win.
The former Toyota and Williams driver then participated in the team event alongside Raab. It was at this moment that things went wrong. The duo capsized near a buoy, throwing both men into the water. But the troubles were just beginning.
A second fall moments later
After the first incident, Schumacher and Raab tried to get back on their jet-ski.
However, the German accelerated while his teammate had not yet fully taken his place on board, causing a new imbalance and a second fall.
While trying to quickly flip the jet-ski back over to get on it, Schumacher injured his shoulder. The pain was immediately visible.
“My shoulder dislocated when I tried to flip the jet-ski back over so quickly,” he later explained to RTL.
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An injury that ultimately proved to be slightly more serious than a simple dislocation.
A small fracture discovered on the X-ray
Schumacher’s shoulder was first put back in place after the accident. Additional examinations were then carried out to check that no other damage had been caused by the fall. The X-ray then revealed that a small bone fragment had also detached.
“It was just a shoulder dislocation, or a dislocated shoulder, but unfortunately a piece of bone also broke,” Schumacher specifies.
This fracture now requires the former driver to undergo surgery.
Schumacher still wants to be in Monza
The operation comes just days before the Italian Grand Prix, where Schumacher was supposed to resume his role as a consultant for Sky Germany. But the German does not seem at all willing to give up his trip.
“The operation should be quickly finished and I should then be able to be present in Monza,” he assures.
Schumacher even prefers to joke about the consequences of his injury.
“I will just have to hold my microphone with my left hand!”
Barring complications after his surgery, the former driver should therefore be back in the Italian paddock just days after his accident.
A spectacular setback but without major consequences
Schumacher can ultimately consider himself relatively lucky given the circumstances of the accident. The dislocation of his shoulder was accompanied by a small fracture requiring surgery, but nothing suggests at this stage that a long recovery period will be necessary. His consulting activity should therefore be only very slightly disrupted.
A few days before Monza, Ralf Schumacher will thus temporarily trade the paddock for the operating room. But the German intends to immediately resume service: even if it means commenting on the Italian Grand Prix with the microphone in his left hand.
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