Petrov says he was in a lot of pain

The Russian crashed against the wall in the Swimming Pool area after making contact with the Toro Rosso of Jaime Alguersuari with six laps to go.

He was taken to hospital for checks and it was found he had no injuries, but the Renault driver said he was in quite a lot of pain inside the cockpit.

"First of all, I would like to thank all my fans for all their well wishes, the medical teams at the circuit, the hospital for their efficient and friendly assistance, and the team for their concern," said Petrov.

"It was quite a big impact and I could not feel my legs very well after the crash. I thought it was best for the medical team to assist with removing me from the car as it was difficult for me to move and my legs were trapped in the cockpit.

"I did not lose consciousness but I was in quite a lot of pain when I was inside the car."

The Russian was running in the points at the time of the accident, and he admitted he was disappointed to have missed the chance to score again.

"It is a shame, as we could have got quite a few points this weekend. I'm now looking forward to Montreal. We need to sort out our problems in qualifying and we will get some good results, as our race pace is usually very good."