Michael Schumacher has not been seen in public since his devastating skiing accident in December 2013, with only a select few allowed to visit the Formula 1 icon
Updates on the condition and health of Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher have been scarce in detail to say the least since his skiing accident in December 2013.
After striking his head on a rock while skiing in the French Alps, Schumacher sustained life-threatening injuries and has since then been kept away from the public eye, receiving 24-hour medical care at his family’s home near Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Earlier this month, Flavio Briatore revealed he has regular chats with Schumacher’s wife, Corinna.
Briatore, under whom Schumacher clinched his first two F1 titles with Benetton, told Italian title Corriere della Sera: “If I close my eyes, I see him smiling after a victory. I prefer to remember him like that rather than him just lying on a bed. Corinna and I talk often, though.”
That followed a more detailed update from Briatore’s ex-wife, Elisabetta Gregoraci, who claimed: “Michael doesn’t speak, he communicates with his eyes. Only three people can visit him and I know who they are.”
Following those updates, here is what we know to be true and false about Schumacher’s condition…
Daughter’s wedding claim ‘fake’
Reports emerged last year that Schumacher attended daughter Gina-Maria’s wedding to Iain Bethke in Majorca.
While the Schumachers do own a property on the island, claims that Michael was there as his daughter was tying the knot were branded “fake news”.
Former Benetton team-mate Johnny Herbert said: “Unfortunately, from what I understand, that was all A1 fake news and no truth in it.”
Helmet signing
Earlier this year, it emerged that Schumacher penned his signature on a helmet for fellow F1 icon Sir Jackie Stewart’s dementia charity. The seven-time world champion signed his initials ‘MS’ on the helmet with the help of Corinna
The item is due to go under the hammer to support Stewart’s Race Against Dementia charity, which the three-time world champion started when his wife Helen was diagnosed with the illness.
Stewart told the Daily Mail: “It is wonderful that Michael could sign the helmet in this worthy cause, a disease for which there is no cure.”
However, he also made clear Schumacher wasn’t alone in ensuring he could make the gesture. Stewart also revealed: “His wife helped him, and it completed the set of every single champion still with us.”
Watching races with former boss
Amongst the Schumacher family’s inner circle is Jean Todt, Michael’s boss at Ferrari during his extraordinary five-year streak of F1 championships from 2000 to 2004.
This French motorsport executive has given occasional updates on his friend’s well-being while steadfastly defending the family’s privacy stance. Earlier this year, he told La Repubblica: “The family has decided not to answer the question [on his condition], a choice that I respect.
“I see him regularly and with affection, him and his family. Our bond goes beyond the past work. It is part of my life, which today is very far from Formula 1.”
Todt had previously confided in watching F1 races with Schumacher, as he told German broadcaster RTL in 2022: “I don’t miss Michael. I see him. Yes, it’s true, I watch races with Michael. But sure, I guess what I miss is what we used to do together.”
In a heartfelt admission to L’Equipe in 2023, Todt acknowledged the reality of Schumacher’s condition, saying: “[He] is simply not the Michael he used to be. He is different and is wonderfully guided by his wife and children, who protect him.”
Schumacher’s inner circle
Earlier this year, RTL’s Felix Gorner said that Schumacher is “completely dependant” on caregivers and “can no longer express himself verbally”.
Gorner claimed that 20 people have access to the former Mercedes driver, a strict choice by the family to protect his privacy. That should come as no surprise, as Schumacher was fiercely protective of his family’s privacy during the height of his racing fame.
‘Michael is here’
Corinna, in a rare moment of openness during the 2021 Netflix documentary ‘Schumacher’, said: “Michael is here. Different, but he’s here, and that gives us strength, I find,” she shared with fans.
“We live together at home. We do therapy. We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he’s comfortable, and to simply make him feel our family, our bond. And no matter what, I will do everything I can. We all will.”
