Since his life-altering skiing accident over 12 years ago, the real state of Michael Schumacher’s health has remained a mystery to all but a few trusted people. While endless speculation, false news, and even extortion schemes have swirled around him, verified facts about the former F1 champion’s condition are extremely scarce. Admiration for Schumacher continues to feed the intrigue, but the lack of concrete updates has only deepened the public’s desire for insight into his private world.
Since that tragic day in December 2013, Schumacher’s family – led by his wife Corinna – has gone to extraordinary lengths to keep his condition out of the public domain. The accident occurred while he was skiing with his then 14-year-old son Mick. After hitting his head on a hidden rock, Schumacher suffered catastrophic injuries and was placed into an induced coma for more than eight months. He has remained out of the public eye ever since. Corinna has managed his care from their lakeside property near Geneva, with access limited to select doctors and a handful of confidants. The family is also reported to have relocated at times to a highly secure home in Mallorca.
Rarely speaking to the media, Corinna has never disclosed any meaningful details regarding Michael’s recovery. As she said in a Netflix film released in 2021: “We’re trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives.
“It’s very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible. Michael always protected us, and now we are protecting Michael.”
The late Eddie Jordan, a longtime family friend who died earlier this year, noted: “This was the most horrific situation. Corinna has not been able to go to a party, to lunch or this or that – she’s like a prisoner, because everyone would want to talk to her about Michael when she doesn’t need reminding of it every minute.”
Dubious claims offer false hope
Recently, news stories emerged suggesting Schumacher may be making progress. One such report alleged he was in attendance at the wedding of his daughter Gina-Maria in Mallorca last year, but the absence of any photographs – reportedly due to a mobile phone ban – left that story unverified, and it was ultimately dismissed as fake news.
Another headline emerged when Schumacher’s signature appeared on a helmet for charity. Every living F1 champion had signed, with Schumacher’s former team-mate Johnny Herbert seeing it as a promising sign he was “on the mend” and could one day return to the F1 paddock.
But insiders confirmed the signature was facilitated by Corinna. Flavio Briatore this week alluded to the fact that he remains largely immobile and unable to talk, despite that hope.
Briatore, who worked with Schumacher during his Ferrari tenure, said recently: “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.”
Like former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, Briatore doesn’t want to see his ally in the condition he’s in, with Schumacher’s circling shrinking ever smaller. Ex-wife Elisabetta Gregoraci said in 2020: “Michael doesn’t speak, he communicates with his eyes. Only three people can visit him and I know who they are.” The trio is believed to be Jean Todt, Ross Brawn, and Gerhard Berger – key figures during his racing heyday with Ferrari.
Todt has said he sees Schumacher monthly and shares race days with the family, although he confirmed: “There’s no longer the same communication as before. The family has decided not to answer the question [regarding Schumacher’s 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,” he said in an interview with La Repubblica.
Schumacher ‘partly helpless’
In March, German sports journalist Felix Gorner – close to the Schumacher circle – provided one of the clearest updates yet, stating: “He is a person dependent on caregivers, who can no longer express himself through language. He was actually a hero, an indestructible hero. We’re just clinging to hope, to a straw. But he’s simply not well, so we won’t see him again.”
Before the 10th anniversary of the accident in 2023, reports revealed he receives continuous care from a full-time staff of about 15 people. Efforts to maintain his privacy were recently breached during a disturbing legal case in Germany, where criminals tried to extort the Schumacher family for £12million by threatening to leak confidential pictures and files.
Markus Fritsche, the alleged mastermind, avoided jail time with a suspended sentence. IT technician Daniel Lins also received a suspended sentence. The family has since appealed the outcome, disappointed by what they see as overly lenient penalties.
According to prosecutor Daniel Muller, the stolen materials showed Schumacher “partly helpless, in need of care and visibly marked” by his trauma, lying in a hospital bed, minimally clothed, and hooked up to medical devices. With all the latest updates considered, it’s increasingly likely the F1 icon won’t be seen in public again.