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Michael Schumacher's close friend paints sad picture about F1 icon's life after horrific ski accident
Michael Schumacher's close friend and former boss Flavio Briatore has opened up on the heartbreaking reality of the F1 icon's life after a horror ski incident more than a decade ago.
Schumacher suffered devastating head injuries in a skiing accident in the French Alps in 2013 which left him in a medically-induced coma for 250 days.
Schumacher's condition has remained a closely guarded secret since then, with his family limiting the number of people who can visit him.
And in a sad new update, Briatore – who oversaw Schumacher's rise at Benetton – says that he finds it best to remember the 56-year-old as he was prior to the accident rather than how he is now.
'If I close my eyes, I see him smiling after a win,' he told Corriere della Sera.
'I prefer to remember him like that rather than him just lying on a bed. Corinna and I talk often, though.'
Briatore first joined Benetton in 1985, before taking over as the team principal only six years later.
And one of his first acts in the role was to sign Schumacher from Jordan, which was seen as one of the biggest moves in F1 history.
In 1994 and 1995, the German driver won his first two world titles before joining Ferrari where he won five championships from 2000 and 2004.
The reality of Schumacher still being almost exclusively bed-bound reinforced the tragedy and his long struggle since, with many friends kept away due to the family's commitment to privacy.
And Briatore's sad revelation aligns with recent reports from German journalist Felix Gorner, who earlier this year described the F1 legend as 'completely dependent' on caregivers and said he could no longer express himself through speech.
While his wife Elisabetta Gregoraci, also previously revealed he is unable to speak and is visited by only a handful of people.
'Michael doesn't speak, he communicates with his eyes,' she said.
'Only three people can visit him and I know who they are.'
Schumacher's wife Corinna also gave a rare glimpse into their life together in the 2021 Netflix documentary Schumacher, stating how just the fact he is still alive gives them strength and hope.
'Michael is here. Different, but he's here, and that gives us strength, I find,' she said.
'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 no matter what, I will do everything I can.
'We all will.'
