Heartbreaking Michael Schumacher update as F1 insider sheds light on condition

Daily Mirror

2 days ago

Michael Schumacher hasn't been seen in public since suffering a severe brain injury during a skiing accident in December 2013, despite Formula 1 fans hoping to hear from their idol
Formula 1 fans have been told that they won't hear from legendary driver Michael Schumacher ever again. The German, 56, continues to receive round-the-clock care from a team of dedicated medical staff and his loving wife, Corinna, after a tragic skiing accident in December 2013.
Schumacher won seven world titles to become arguably the most iconic name and face in F1. But he's been hidden from the public eye ever since he suffered a severe brain injury after hitting his head on a rock in the French Alps.
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Doctors placed him into an induced coma which lasted for 250 days before Schumacher was later allowed to return to home and continue to his treatment. His family have fought fiercely to protect his privacy, with Schumacher completely reliant on caregivers.
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Updates have been scarce but it's been said that the stricken racer can now no longer speak. F1 fans have held out hope for 11-and-a-half years that they'll catch another glimpse of Schumacher, who remains tied for Drivers' Championships with Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari's current icon.
But in a new interview, those hopes have been dampened. Craig Scarborough, who's covered the sport for around 25 years and interviewed Schumacher multiple times, recently spoke to the Sun and revealed details of his condition.
"I spoke to someone who is very, very close to him and they just explained we're not going to hear any more from him," Scarborough explained. "He's in a comfortable position as far as he can be with his state of health."
Fans will be glad to hear that Schumacher, who recently became a grandparent after his daughter, Gina, gave birth, is doing the best he can in the horrific circumstances. But even those who knew him well prefer not to think of him in his current state.
Flavio Briatore, Schumacher's former manager at Benetton and now the de facto boss of Alpine, told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera this week: "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."
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Briatore's comments add to those made by Schumacher's ex-wife, Elisabetta Gregoraci, in 2020, as she revealed: "Michael doesn't speak; he communicates with his eyes. Only three people can visit him, and I know who they are."
Former Ferrari chief Jean Todt is understood to be one of those three outside of the family, saying in 2022: "I can see him but of course, what I miss is what we used to do together. I watch Grands Prix with Michael."
Schumacher's 26-year-old son, Mick, raced in Formula 1 for Haas in 2021 and 2022. Scarborough believes that spending time with Mick is vital for Michael and respects his family's stance on privacy.
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"I think a lot of people demand stuff from him and I think that's wrong," Scarborough added. "He is himself, and his family have a lot to contend with. Until you've cared for somebody, I don't think anyone realises the emotion and the physical workload.
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"The fact that they have been bold enough to withdraw from public life and not be tempted to do exclusives out there to various people, I think, is noble, and I hope that continues. I hope they can find happiness in the situation they find themselves in."
The journalist went on to say: "He was a guy who enjoyed his personal time. He loved his family. He did lots of lovely things. He clearly liked a drink and he loved a big cigar. But he had lots of time to bring up his son."
Corinna, who married Schumacher in 1995, opened up on his condition during a 2021 Netflix documentary. "We're together," she said. "We live together at home.
"We do therapy. We're trying to carry on as a family. 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. We're trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does."