Ralf fined $50000

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Williams driver Ralf Schumacher was today fined with an amount of 50000 dollar. This fine will replace his sanction that would have put him 10 places down on the grid in sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix.Schumacher attended a hearing alongside representatives from the Motor Sports Association in Paris on Tuesday where he denied having deliberatley caused the crash, claiming a temporary loss of vision.

The Court said it would now ask stewards from the race to re-investigate the roles of Raikkonen and Barrichello to see if either of the drivers could be apportioned some of the blame.

Williams team owner Frank Williams meanwhile was relatively satisfied with the Court's outcome. "We are delighted the Court of Appeal has seen fit to remove the serious penalty of a 10-place demotion on the starting grid for the next race.

"The substitution of a financial penalty at least means we can compete in Hungary with Ralf still in a competitive position in both championships. The hearing proved to be a fair and transparent review of all the factors that culminated in the incident and the team can now turn its full attention to the following race in Budapest."

Schumacher, who had claimed the crash was a normal racing incident, said: "I am delighted with the decision. After the hearing, I didn't expect too much, but I'm happy with the conclusion that was reached."