Michael Schumacher's former boss has offered a rare insight into the Formula One legend twelve years after the skiing accident that caused a traumatic brain injury.
The German racing driver fell and hit his head on a rock on an unkempt snowfield at Meribel, a resort in the French Alps, in 2013.
Since then, his family has rarely spoken publicly about his health or shared details of his recovery.
Highlights
- Michael Schumacher remains bed-bound and non-verbal, his friends have revealed.
- Flavio Briatore shared that he prefers to remember Schumacher's peak rather than his current state.
- Schumacher’s family fiercely protects his privacy and has settled a case for €200,000 against a magazine for a fake AI-generated interview.
Flavio Briatore, who led Benetton Formula when Schumacher won his first two World Championship titles back to back, appeared to confirm that the 56-year-old is bed-bound.
Image credits: Michael Cooper / ALLSPORT / Wikipedia
"If I close my eyes, I see him smiling after a victory," he told Corriere della Sera.
"I prefer to remember him like that rather than him just lying on a bed."
The Italian businessman was close with Schumacher and said he "talks often" with the racing driver's wife, champion equestrian Corinna.
Image credits: Morio / Wikipedia
Schumacher is cared for by Corinna and medical staff at their Lake Geneva home in Switzerland.
The update comes after Briatore's ex-wife, Elisabetta Gregoraci, said that Schumacher "doesn't speak" but "communicates with his eyes."
The model revealed that "only three people can visit him" and that Corinna "has set up a hospital" at their house.
Briatore led Benetton when Schumacher won his first two consecutive World Championships in 1994 and 1995
Image credits: Pascal Rondeau / Getty Images
Mick, one of Schumacher and Corinna's children, said in the 2021 Netflix documentary about his father's life, "I think dad and me, we would understand each other now in a different way now."
In the documentary, Corinna shared that her husband is undergoing a rehabilitation process and that he's "different, but here."
Image credits: Hoch Zwei / Getty Images
Journalist Felix Gorner said the ex-driver "needs constant care and is completely dependent on his caregivers," as quoted by the Daily Mail. "And he can no longer express himself verbally."
In 2023, former Ferrari manager Jean Todt told L’Équipe that Schumacher is no longer who he "used to be."
"Michael is here, so I don't miss him. [But 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," Todt shared.
"His life is different now, and I have the privilege of sharing moments with him."
The Alpine team principal said he prefers to picture Schumacher "smiling after a victory" rather than "just lying on a bed"
Image credits: Rick Dikeman / Wikipedia
The F1 icon is "in a wheelchair," said former racing driver Philippe Streiff in 2014, who added that Schumacher has "memory problems and speech problems."
Johnny Herbert, Schumacher's teammate at Benetton in 1994 and 1995, said he hoped the former driver was "on the mend" after signing a special helmet with Corinna's help last April to be auctioned for a charity supporting dementia prevention and treatment.
"We haven't seen something emotional like this in years, and hopefully, it's a sign," Herbert told FastSlots, calling the moment "emotional."
Image credits: Mattia Linari / Pexels
Schumacher reportedly made his first public appearance in a decade last October to attend the wedding of his daughter Gina in Mallorca, Spain.
The ceremony lasted about half an hour, and guests were required to leave their phones at the door to keep the event private.
Schumacher is one of the most successful F1 drivers of all time, having won a record-setting seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, later tied by British racing driver Lewis Hamilton in 2020.
Little is known about the former racing driver since his devastating skiing accident in December 2013
Image credits: Wikipedia
In December 2013, he sustained a traumatic brain injury while skiing in the French Alps.
According to his physicians, he likely would have lost his life had he not been wearing a helmet.
He was airlifted to a hospital, underwent two surgeries, and was placed in a medically-induced coma. He was gradually brought out of the coma in April 2014. Five months later, he returned home.
Image credits: Fotopedia.com / Wikipedia
Protective of the driver's privacy, Schumacher's family threatened to sue Die Aktuelle, a German publication, in 2023 after it published what was advertised as the "first interview" with him since his skiing accident, but had actually been fabricated using AI.
The case was settled out of court, with the magazine paying the Schumacher family €200,000.
Elisabetta Gregoraci, Briatore's ex, said Schumacher "doesn't speak" but "communicates with his eyes"
Image credits: emperornie / Wikipedia
Last February, Yilmaz Tozturkan, a nightclub bouncer, was sentenced to three years in prison after attempting to blackmail the Schumachers with confidential medical records, photos, and videos he had reportedly received from Schumacher's former bodyguard.
The bodyguard was given a two year suspended sentence for stealing the private content.
Formula One fans expressed hope for Schumacher’s recovery
