Michael Schumacher, a legendary Formula One driver, suffered life-changing injuries in a skiing accident 11 years ago, and hasn’t been seen since.
It has been more than a decade since Michael Schumacher suffered a tragic accident that changed his life forever.
The Formula 1 legend hasn’t been seen by anyone since, and now his close friend and former boss, Flavio Briatore, has shared an emotional update on his condition. Schumacher suffered a severe brain injury after a skiing accident in December 2013 and his wife, Corrina, has kept details of his treatment incredibly private.
Briatore, who brought Schumacher to Benetton and helped him win two world titles, is among the few who have visited the German since his accident. Speaking to Italian newspapers, Corriere della Serra, he said: “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 [Schumacher’s wife] and I talk often, though.”
Last year, it was reported that the family was taking action to protect Michael’s privacy around his current health condition, fighting an ongoing blackmail trial involving Michael’s ex-bodyguard. Markus Fritsche was accused of trying to extort the F1 icon’s family for a £12 million blackmail sum.
Markus Fritsche, who worked with Schumacher until about 2021, was accused of aiding and abetting blackmail of the family, using hundreds of private photos, videos and the driver’s medical notes. Fritsche had threatened to release 1,500 images, 200 videos and extensive personal medical notes about his former boss, all the information was contained on four USB sticks and two hard drives that Fritsche had taken from the Schumacher home after being told to leave their employment.
Then, he turned to Yilmaz Tozturkan and Lins, his son, who is an IT expert, for assistance. The plot eventually fell apart and the three men have since faced punishment. After being found guilty of trying to blackmail, Fritsche received a two-year prison sentence in February 2025. Despite the claims made by the Schumacher family that he was deserving of five, his associate Tozturkan, who is already in jail for an unrelated crime, has been given a further three years. Lins was handed a six-month suspended sentence.
Since that fateful day in the French Alps during Christmas 2013, the Formula One legend has been under full time care with very few visits from anyone. The driver had been skiing with his family before he went off-piste and lost control.
The 56-year-old hit a boulder and suffered serious damage to his head, with his helmet saving his life. Following the incident on December 29, the seven-time world champion was left fighting for his life and was placed in a medically induced coma. In April 2014, his agent revealed that he had ‘conscious moments’ and two months later, Schumacher was back at his Swiss home by Lake Geneva under the care of his family.
The star has since remained hidden from the public, with few health updates coming out of the blue. His ten-year health battle is presented here.
When the crash happened, Schumacher’s helmet absorbed much of the force, but the severity of the impact cracked the shell and fractured his skull, leading to a brain injury. He was quickly taken to a hospital by air ambulance, and doctors performed two vital operations to lower brain pressure.
The star was reportedly fighting for his life and was in critical condition at the time. It wasn’t until April 2014 that the family released their next statement, in which they said Schumacher had shown ‘ moments of consciousness and awakening’. After being released from a coma and moved to a rehab facility the following summer, Schumacher was declared to have come out of the coma and was then flown back to his family.
Former racing driver Philippe Streiff claimed Michael was paralyzed and in a wheelchair in a late 2014 interview, though it’s not clear if this is still true. Philippe, a good friend of Michael’s who also uses a wheelchair after a racing accident, said: “He is getting better but everything is relative. It’s a lot of work. He is speechless.
He is paralyzed in a wheelchair, just like I am. He struggles with speech and memory. “And ex-Ferrari boss Jean Todt said that his miraculous survival was the result of Corinna’s steely determination – but that it had come at a price.
Since Michael’s serious skiing accident on December 29, 2013, he told Bild, “I’ve spent a lot of time with Corinna.” She is a wonderful mother who is in charge of the household. She hadn’t expected that. She had no other options but to react quickly. But she does it skillfully. I trust her, she trusts me. He survived, but with consequences, as a result of the efforts of his doctors and Corinna’s support, who wanted him to survive.
The “consequences”‘ exact nature are largely unknown. Corinna has described her husband as ‘ different’, while son Mick – who has followed in his father’s footsteps into F1 – said Michael’s illness means he’s unable to communicate.
In 2019, he was widely reported to have undergone stem cell treatment in a bid to regenerate his nervous system. Le Parisien reported he was admitted for transfusions of inflammation-reducing stem cells, and also quoted an unnamed nurse who claimed Schumacher had shown signs of recovery.
“Yes he is in my service”, the nurse revealed. And I can assure you that he is conscious. The racer is thought to have been bedbound and had developed muscle atrophy and osteoporosis.
‘Close relatives’ reportedly spoke with the French magazine ‘Paris Match’ ahead of his 50th birthday in January 2019. The magazine quoted one as saying: “When you put him in his wheelchair facing the beautiful panorama of the mountains overlooking the lake, Michael sometimes cries.”
Jean Todt explained how the family is “living differently” now that the accident has occurred. He told gazzetta. It: “It is a privilege for me to be so close to Michael, Corinna, Mick, and Gina in our family.” On December 29, 2013, their lives changed. They have to live everything differently. The quality of friendship is crucial. And maintain their foundation, “Keep Fighting””.
In September 2020, he said he had seen Michael that week, who was “fighting.” Later that month it was reported that Schumacher had been spending more time in Majorca. Elisabetta Gregoraci, ex-wife of former F1 team boss Flavio Briarote, was quoted in Spanish press saying: “Michael doesn’t speak, he communicates with his eyes. Only three people can visit him and I know who they are.” On the Italian version of Big Brother the brunette added, in comments echoed by Spanish press: “They moved to Spain and his wife has set up a hospital in that house.”
Despite the global outpouring of grief, Corinna has sworn those around her husband to secrecy over his condition to maintain his dignity. Only those trusted have been granted access to see the star, with the house under strict security protocols. But in 2021, Corinna gave a rare insight into her husband’s health on Netflix documentary SCHUMACHER, admitting she desperately longs for the partner she had before the accident.
“I miss Michael every day. However, I miss him more than just myself. The family, his father, everyone he’s around, she said. “Everybody misses Michael, but Michael is here – different, but here. He continues to demonstrate his strength to me every day. She confirmed that Michael still lives at the family’s home in Switzerland and that she wanted to keep his trials and tribulations private.
She continued: “We live together at home. We practice therapy. We do everything in our power to improve Michael’s quality and comfort. And to simply make him feel our family, our bond. And I’ll do everything, no matter what.
We will all, I assure you. We’re trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does. And we’re continuing our lives. I think it’s very important for him to be able to enjoy his private life the most. Michael always protected us, and now we are protecting Michael. “
Since his surgeries, little to no information has been shared about the procedures the star may have had. His son, Mick, 23, raced for Haas before becoming a reserve for Mercedes, and has given few interviews but has said his biggest heartbreak is that he can’t discuss the sport with his father. He said: “Since the accident, of course, these experiences, these moments that I believe many people have with their parents, are no longer present or to a lesser extent. And in my view, that is a little unfair.
“I think me and dad, we would understand each other in a different way now. Simply put, because we have a lot more to talk about and share a language that is similar to motorsport. And that’s typically when my thoughts turn. Thinking that would be so cool… I would give up everything just for that”.
Meanwhile, it was reported that Schumacher’s family were planning to start a ‘new life’ in Majorca in a £27 million villa which will be used over winter, according to German magazine Die Bunte. Schumacher and wife Corinna’s new pad is said to have been previously owned by Real Madrid boss Florentino Perez.
The property – which provides beautiful sea views down the Majorcan coast – is kitted out with two luxurious swimming pools, as well as a helipad and all the medical facilities needed for his recovery. The Schumachers are said to have also purchased the surrounding land, which currently contains olive trees and crumbling structures, for as well as the villa. According to reports, the land cost an eye-watering $2.3 million.
However if the first decade is anything to go by, fans are unlikely to know much about Schumacher’s whereabouts or evolving health in the upcoming years. Felix Damm, the family’s attorney, explained in November why his close friends chose to remain silent about the situation.
“It has always been a matter of protecting private information,” he reportedly told the Mail. “We also considered whether a final announcement about Michael’s state of health could be the right way to go about it. But that wouldn’t have been the end of it and there would have had to be permanently updated ‘water level reports,” he explained.
Although his close friend Todt has a tinge of hope, he added, “I hope the world will be able to see him again.” That is what he and his family are working towards”.
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Source: Mirror
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