Button to Undergo Fitness Test Before Canadian GP

Briton Jenson Button will face a fitness test on Thursday ahead of this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal following his heavy crash in the Monaco Grand Prix practice.

Button was knocked unconscious after his crash in Monte Carlo and missed testing last week in order to recover. He will have an examination with Professor Sid Watkins on Thursday to ensure he is fully recovered and can compete in the race.

Leading neurosurgeon Peter Hamlyn fears Briton Button could harm himself and other competitors if he is allowed to return to the cockpit before he has fully recovered.

"If you give him a lethal machine and he is not firing on all four cylinders then he could do himself or someone else some serious trouble," Hamlyn said. "There are two concerns when a sports person suffers a head injury. The first is that he may be susceptible to other injury such as blood clots, second impact syndrome or more brain damage and the second is there is a concern for other competitors.

"But Sid is a very smart bloke and I am sure he will be taking good care of him. Formula One has just 20 drivers so it is such a small sport, in relative terms, compared to something like rugby which has 1000s of players that have to have rules to protect people. Sid knows all the drivers well, they are a small group of athletes and he is more like a club doctor. He is also one of the world's experts on head injuries so Jenson is in good hands."