Williams Confirm Gene will Race in France

Spaniard Marc Gene will replace German Ralf Schumacher at the French Grand Prix, the Williams team confirmed today.

Schumacher was sidelined after it was revealed today that he suffered two spinal fractures in a crash during the US Grand Prix this month.

"It is a shame that opportunities only come along when one of my colleagues has endured some kind of misadventure, but it is my job to make the best of such circumstances and ensure the team is not compromised by Ralf's absence," said Gene, who already replaced Schumacher at last year's Italian Grand Prix.

"I have raced at Magny-Cours before, and I have clocked up thousands of kilometres in the FW26, so hopefully this will provide the basis for a good performance in France this weekend.

Schumacher will require a recovery period of up to twelve weeks, and Williams said it is not clear when he will be fit to race again. The team added that "future decisions regarding driver nominations will be taken at a later date."

"I wish Ralf well for a full recovery, and I hope to see him back racing before the end of the season," said team principal Frank Williams. "In the meantime, we are fortunate to have a driver of Marc's calibre to fill the void."