Mark Webber nearly missed the Australian Grand Prix after fracturing a rib in pre-season testing but instead took part in the two opening rounds of the 2005 season with the help of extensive physiotherapy and pain-killing medicine, the Australian revealed.
Speaking to journalist Peter Windsor, the Williams driver said he sustained the injury in Barcelona during a testing session in mid-February.
Further details, released by Australia's Motorsport News ahead of publication, suggest Webber cracked his number five rib on his left-hand side as a result of a slightly badly fitting seat and the high G-forces experienced at Barcelona. This eventually caused damage to rib cartilage and the fracture.
According to Webber, the injury was somewhat better by the Malaysian Grand Prix, but he still required an injection to subdue the pain. And, in order to make full recovery for the next Grand Prix in Bahrain, Webber was absent from testing this week.
The revelation of Webber's injury comes at the same as the news that Juan Pablo Montoya may miss the Bahrain Grand Prix after fracturing his shoulder in a tennis accident.
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