Ralf Accuses Head of Spreading Rumours

Ralf Schumacher, his future at Williams looking increasingly uncertain, accused the Formula One team's technical director Patrick Head of spreading rumours behind his back on Wednesday.

Asked about a report in a German magazine quoting an unnamed Williams boss as suggesting that Ralf had not been the same since a testing accident at Monza last September, the driver pointed the finger at Head.

"It was Patrick," he told reporters at the Monaco Grand Prix. "And if he would have the kindness to show and to explain it then it would be good, and not just to spread a rumour for no reason. To me it's nonsense, nothing else."

The German's contract expires at the end of the year and he has been outqualified in all five Grands Prix this season by Colombian team mate Juan Pablo Montoya, who is joining McLaren next year.

The German has scored a mere 17 points since his last victory in the 2003 French Grand Prix compared to the Colombian's 53 in the same period. Ralf missed last year's Italian Grand Prix after admitting after Friday practice that he was still feeling the effects of concussion from his crash.

"He still has problems today," Germany's Auto Bild magazine quoted its unnamed senior team source as saying. "In qualifying in Barcelona in five places he braked 10 to 15 metres earlier than normal."

Ralf dismissed the suggestion and said he had a good relationship with the team and Head.

"There is no real relationship problem. It's just with Patrick, sometimes he just goes off with himself a bit or doesn't think about what he's saying or he's very emotional about things," he said.

"It's not the first time it happened to me within Williams," he added. "Obviously we are all under pressure, we all want to deliver, we try desperately to deliver and because of it sometimes things go a bit wrong."

Ralf was asked whether he felt Head, who has been a part-owner of Williams since before their first championship victory with Australian Alan Jones in 1980, wanted him to be a different kind of driver.

"I think Patrick is sometimes looking for something that happened 20 years ago...it really depends on whatever he feels on the day," he said.

"He's a very motivated guy, still tries everything to give us a winning car and believe it or not I enjoy working with him. Ninety percent of the time we get on well."