Michael Schumacher health latest update – what we know

The Ferrari legend crashed during a ski trip to Switzerland in 2013 and sustained a traumatic brain injury. Here’s what we know about his health as his family seeks to keep his life as private as possible.

Michael Schumacher injured in a skiing accident in the Alps

Michael Schumacher’s legendary Formula One career ended dramatically in 2013 when, while skiing on the alpine slopes of Switzerland, he fell and sustained a severe brain injury. The racer since chosen to address fans via his family, primarily his wife Corinna, who provides the most frequent updates.

Mrs Schumacher accepted the prestigious State Prize of North-Rhine-Westphalia in July 2022 – which recognised the driver’s trailblazing career – and gave fans a tearful update.

She said: “I miss Michael every day. But it’s not just me who misses him. It’s the children, the family, his father, everyone around him. I mean, everybody misses Michael, but Michael is here. Different, but he’s here and that gives us strength, I find.

“We try to carry on a family as Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives. ‘Private is private’, as he always said. It is 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.”

Schumacher is still alive because of his wife, according to Ferrari team boss turned FIA chief Jean Todt, who said she succeeded in keeping him from death while shouldering significant responsibility.

He told Bild: “I’ve spent a lot of time with Corinna since Michael had his serious skiing accident on December 29, 2013. She is a great woman and runs the family. She hadn’t expected that. It happened suddenly and she had no choice. But she does it very well. I trust her, she trusts me.

“Thanks to the work of his doctors and the cooperation of Corinna, who wanted him to survive, he survived – but with consequences. And right now you are fighting the consequences. We hope that things will slowly but surely improve.”

Where is Michael Schumacher now?

Michael Schumacher celebrate his next birthday in less than a month, as he turns 55 on January 3, and his family will likely commemorate the occasion. On his 54th birthday, his son, Mick, shared a photo of him and his father when he was a boy alongside a classic photograph of the legendary driver behind the wheel of a car. He captioned the two photographs: “Happy birthday to the best Dad ever. Love you!”

In December 2013, while on a skiing trip with his family, Schumacher suffered a severe brain injury when descending the Combe de Saulire near Méribel in the French Alps with his son Mick.

While crossing an off-piste area between Piste Chamois and Piste Mauduit, he fell and hit his head on a rock. Despite wearing a skiing helmet, he suffered catastrophic injuries. Schumacher was rushed to hospital and kept in a coma following the dramatic accident while doctors worked to save the racing champion.

They slowly pulled him out of unconsciousness, which they completed one year later in 2014. Afterwards, his family moved him home to Gland, Switzerland, where he continues his rehabilitation.

Michael Schumacher – timeline of his life so far

Janury 3, 1969 – Michael Schumacher born in Hürth, West Germany

1991 – Schumacher’s first Formula 1 grand prix

1991 – Michael Schumacher joins Benneton

1996 – Schumacher joins Ferrari

2006 – Shumacher announces retirement from racing after 2006 season, but continues working for Ferrari

2010 – Michael Schumacher comes back to F1, racing for Mercedes

2012 – Michael Schumacher’s last F1 podium

2012 – Michael Schumacher’s last F1 race

2013 – Skiing accident

2021 – Netflix documentary ‘Schumacher’ released, detailing the F1 champion’s racing career and interviews with family members

How is Michael Schumacher now?

Mr Schumacher is still alive nearly 10 years following the fateful accident, but he is not the same person, his former Ferrari boss Jean Todt has said.

Ralf Schumacher, the racer’s younger brother, said in a recent interview with German magazine Bild that modern medicine was able to accomplish “a lot” despite his injuries.

But he added that his life is nothing “like it used to be”.

He added: “Life is sometimes unfair. Michael had often been lucky in his life, but then came this tragic accident.

“Thank goodness we were able to do a lot thanks to modern medical possibilities, but still nothing is like it used to be.”

Speaking to French daily sports paper L’Equipe, Mr Todt said he still sees the former racer, so he doesn’t miss him, but added that he is not the person he once was.

He said: “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.

“His life is different now and I have the privilege of sharing moments with him. That’s all there is to say.

“Unfortunately, fate struck him ten years ago. He is no longer the Michael we knew in Formula 1.”

Mr Todt was once much more positive about his friend’s condition, and has previously hailed his fighting spirit.

In 2019, he told Radio Monte-Carlo in 2019 he had watched an F1 race with the driver, and he “keeps on fighting”.

Mr Todt said: “I’m always careful with such statements, but it’s true. I saw the race together with Michael Schumacher at his home in Switzerland. Michael is in the best hands and is well looked after in his house. He does not give up and keeps fighting.”

Mr Todt mentioned their relationship is not quite the same as it once was, and Schumacher’s family continues to fight with him.

He continued: “His family is fighting just as much and of course our friendship can not be the same as it once was. Just because there’s no longer the same communication as before. He continues to fight. And his family is fighting the same way.”

Another optimistic update came from F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone, who said last month he was anticipating Michael could one day answer questions on his health himself. He said: “He is not with us at the moment. But when he gets better, he’ll answer all the questions.”

Norbert Haug, a former Mercedes chief who worked with Mr Schumacher, is among people who have reached out to the Schumacher family. He told Sports Mole: “I respect the wish that Michael’s health is a private matter.

“And it’s always been like this – if there’s something I can contribute to help, then I’ll be there in a flash. A call, a message, and I’m off.”

While Schumacher continues on the road to recovery, only select people are allowed to see him. Luca Badoer, a former colleague of Schumacher’s at Ferrari, said only his wife chooses who is allowed to visit – and the list doesn’t extend to Michael Schumacher’s former manager Willi Weber.

Speaking on an RTL special commemorating his maiden title win 25 years ago, he said:“I know that Michael has been badly hurt, but unfortunately not what progress he makes in rehab.

“I’d like to know how he’s doing and shake hands or stroke his face. But unfortunately this is rejected by Corinna. She probably fears that I will immediately recognise what is going on and make the truth public.”

While Mr Schumacher recovers, Italian Grand Prix winner Charles Leclerc has been hailed as his successor on the track. FIA president Todt and Formula 1 motorsport director Ross Brawn compared the Monegasque driver to the recovering racing hero.

Mr Leclerc said: “It’s always very nice to hear these type of things. But I’m only 21, I haven’t proved anything compared to what Michael has. So for now it’s it’s way too far to speak about these things I’m working on my career, trying to have the best career possible on my side. But obviously to be compared with this one, with these people it’s always an honour but it seems very far to me.”

Mr Schumacher’s brother Ralf gave a poignant glimpse into the F1 legend’s health recently.

In an interview with Bunte, Ralf said: “Unfortunately, sometimes life isn’t fair. We have to accept it. When I see his children Gina-Maria and Mick, my heart smiles. If someone in the family is looking for my advice, I’m there. They go their own way.”

Ralf added he and Corinna are “good friends” but admitted there had previously been a period of friction which they had put “long behind them’.

Family lawyer Felix Damm explained the conundrum behind the family releasing information on Mr Schumacher.

He said: “It has always been a matter of protecting private information.

“Of course, we had a lot of discussions about how to do that. 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’.”

She said: “When I was 30, I very much wanted to have a horse and Michael went with me to Dubai, where I intended to buy an Arabian horse. He did everything for me. I will never forget who I have to thank. That would be my husband Michael.”

Corinna Schumacher continues to make most of the decisions for her family, and has the final say along with Michael Schumacher’s father Rolf and their children Gina and Mick over footage used in an upcoming film about them.