HOCKENHEIM, Germany -- Formula 1 world champion Ayrton Senna of Brazil crashed during test drives for the German Grand Prix on the Hockenheim course Friday and was taken to the hospital with neck and chest bruises.

The 31-year-old South American overturned several times in his McLaren Honda in the second chicane of the course, just 10 minutes before the end of the test drives in preparation for the July 28 race.

'After the crash I might have been unconscious momentarily, but I left the car on my own and took my helmet off,' said Senna, whose participation for the race probably was not endangered by the crash.

'Senna went five meters (16 feet) up in the air just in front of me, ' said Jordan-Ford driver Andrea de Cesaris of Italy.

Senna currently leads the world championship standings by 18 points.