- Michael S. Schumacher has seven F1 World Championship titles and a dazzling slew of records in his career
- But he hasn't been seen in public since 2013, when he suffered a serious brain injury in a horrific skiing accident
- It's been a decade since he was injured, and the Daily Mail looks back on a decade of uncertainty and asks what comes next
German Formula One Ferrari driver Schumacher lifts the trophy after winning the Montreal Grand Prix at Gilles Villeneuve on June 15, 1997
In elite sports, few names evoke as much respect and awe as Michael Schumacher.
A true motorsport legend and Formula 1 giant, Schumacher is considered by many to be the greatest driver of all time, having won seven Formula 1 world championships in his career and set a dazzling string of records.
But on December 29, 2013, a tragic accident quickly and irrevocably changed his life, which seemed unbelievable at the time and cruelly ironic.
Schumacher achieved unparalleled glory for more than 15 years of mastering the world's fastest and most dangerous machine, and retired in 2012 at the age of 43.
But a year later, while the family was on vacation in the French Alps, the speed maniac suffered an unusual fall just a few meters away from a popular ski resort, resulting in a serious head injury.
Since then, the sports icon has been hidden from the public eye, with Schumacher's health journey over the past decade shrouded in an almost impenetrable veil of secrecy.
Now, 10 years after that fateful day and just five days away from his 55th birthday, the Daily Mail reviews what we know about the extent of Schumacher's injury, examines the fragments of detail that have slipped through the tightly controlled information bubble and speculates on the future of the racing icon.
Michael Schumacher is a true motorsport legend, with seven Formula 1 World Championship titles to his name.
But Schumacher hasn't been seen in public since the 2013 skiing accident (Schumacher was pictured with his wife Corinna in 2005)
Schumacher with his wife Corinna, son Mick and daughter Gina, taken from the 2021 Netflix documentary Schumacher
Accidents and their consequences
It was a beautiful morning, on the picturesque slopes of the famous ski resort of Méribel in the French Alps, when Schumacher suffered an almost fatal impact.
The seven-time world champion is enjoying a family holiday, just over a year away from the final race of the 2012 Formula 1 season, and he has announced his retirement for the second and final time.
He went skiing with his son, Mick, who was 14 years old at the time, and when disaster struck, the two embarked on what seemed like a routine ski trip.
While descending along the popular Combe de Saulire route, Schumacher chose to venture off the piste and into a small patch of uncombed powder between the Antelope and Beeche pistes, covered with small stones.
The master rider was also a very skilled and committed skier – his skills were so high that he held a ski race that bears his name at the resort of Madonna di Campillio, Italy, where Ferrari hosts its annual winter resort.
But despite the relatively gentle slopes and short off-road sections, there are also hidden dangers. The snowfall has covered up some boulders and turned powder paradise into a minefield.
Schumacher's skis caught one of these boulders, and the sudden force catapulted him into the air – leaving him powerless to avoid a head-on collision with another rock.
The impact is devastating. Schumacher's helmet absorbed most of the force, but the severity of the accident fractured the hard shell and Schumacher's skull was fractured, resulting in traumatic brain damage.
Ski patrols and helicopter rescue teams arrived at the scene within minutes, and witnesses said Schumacher was conscious after the accident but could not answer questions and could not move normally.
Schumacher was believed to be conscious and speak immediately after the accident, but was unable to answer questions and acted abnormally (2004)
Fans projected a message on the hospital side of Grenoble in honor of Schumacher's 45th birthday: "45 - Schumacher stay strong!
Recognising the seriousness of his condition, rescuers quickly secured him and took him to the nearby Mujie Hospital, where he arrived at 11:53 a.m.
From there, a helicopter airlifted him to the University Central Hospital of Grenoble, a leading medical facility equipped with specialized neurosurgical operating rooms, where two life-saving surgeries were performed to relieve pressure on the brain.
Later investigations concluded that Schumacher was driving at a normal speed at the time of the accident and was not beyond his capabilities. But it is believed that the former driver's injuries would almost certainly have been fatal if he had not been wearing a helmet, and a motorcycle accident in February 2009 exacerbated his head and neck fractures.
Hours after the first operation, the hospital's chief anesthesiologist, Jean-François Payne, said the former driver was "fighting for his life" and judged it to be a "very serious condition".
"We can't really say when he'll recover – we can't answer that question yet," he concluded.
The hospital has a strict security cordon, and only trusted visitors are allowed to visit Schumacher.
His wife, Corinna, and daughters Gina Marie and Mick were at his bedside, and they were later joined by family friend and former Scuderia Ferrari principal and chief executive Jean Todd.
Schumacher's medical team was supported by Professor Gerard Selant, a brain and spinal injury specialist and close friend of Schumacher's, who performed a second operation on Schumacher's left cerebral hematoma.
The driver survived both surgeries, but was still in critical condition a few weeks later.
By April 2014, Schumacher was gradually recovering from a drug-induced coma, a process that was completed in June 2014.
He then went to the University Hospital of Lausanne for ongoing rehabilitation before leaving the hospital in September to head to the Schumacher family's £50 million home on the shores of Lake Geneva in Gland, Switzerland.
In 2018, it was rumored that Schumacher had been secretly moved to a private mansion in Mallorca, Spain by his wife Corinna, and in 2020, Elisabeth Gregoracci, the ex-wife of Schumacher's former boss in Benetton Flavio Briatore, made a similar claim.
"Michael can't speak, he communicates with his eyes," Gregoraci said in the Italian version of the reality show Big Brother.
"They moved to Spain, and his wife set up a hospital in that house. There are only three people who can visit him, and I know who they are," she said.
But her claims were widely refuted by Schumacher's family, managers and other sources, with it widely believed that Schumacher remained in Switzerland.
Schumacher lives and undergoes treatment in his £50 million mansion in Gland, Switzerland
A veil of mystery, a near-catastrophic leak...... and the errors of artificial intelligence
Despite the world's expressions of grief and support after Schumacher's accident, his wife, Corinna, whom he married in 1995, insisted on complete secrecy about his condition.
Schumacher's family, friends and the wider entourage have faithfully followed this rule, believing that the racer and his immediate family deserve privacy to preserve his dignity.
Under strict security protocols, only a few trusted people were allowed access to his bedside, which inevitably sparked many rumors about Schumacher's condition.
But it was a price worth paying for Corinna and Schumacher's manager, Sabine Keim, who said he secretly tried to meet Michael several times just days after his accident.
In this attempt, a journalist dressed as a priest tried to enter Schumacher's hospital room and pretend to send blessings to the disaster-stricken racer.
Keim told Le Monde at the time: "I never thought something like this would happen. ”
But six months later, Schumacher's family again tried to uncover the details of his predicament.
Medical records and £1 million worth of photographs were stolen from Schumacher's home
Schumacher's privacy has led many to try to exploit the information vacuum to make money.
Six months after the accident, Helicopter Air Rescue transferred him from a French hospital to Switzerland, where an executive of the company allegedly tried to steal his medical records and sell them to several European media outlets for 50,000 euros (£40,000).
French prosecutors traced the IP address of the computer used in the theft to Rega, the main operator of the Swiss air ambulance. At the time, the company admitted to having received a medical file to assist with Schumacher's relocation, but vehemently denied any involvement in the theft.
Prosecutors from France and Switzerland managed to trace the alleged theft to the air rescue director, who was immediately arrested and put in a cell in Zurich.
But the next morning, just hours before he was scheduled to appear in court, police found the man's body hanging in his cell.
The authorities did not release the man's name, age or nationality. But the Zurich prosecutor's office said at the time that he was acting alone and that there were no signs that he was mentally unstable or suicidal.
Keim said at the time that "we are speechless and deeply shocked," but added that any act of making medical files "clearly stolen" would result in prosecution, meaning the notes would never be exposed.
A year later, the family narrowly avoided another catastrophic spill.
An unnamed "friend" was allowed into Schumacher's home, took a picture and smuggled it out.
Allegedly, the photo was disseminated to European media groups for 1 million euros.
But German prosecutors quickly intervened, declaring that the photograph and its attempt to sell constituted an "invasion of the scope of his personal life" and an invasion of privacy.
This photo has never surfaced, and to this day there are no photographs taken by Schumacher after the accident.
Schumacher's wife, Corinna, pictured with him in 2012, insisted on keeping family and friends a secret
A "world exclusive first visit" made up by a real AI chatbot
Earlier this year, a German magazine ran a front-page photo of the F1 driver's face, claiming it had obtained Schumacher's first interview since his skiing accident in December 2013.
Immediately someone asked how The Now managed to get the long-reclusive Schumacher to speak publicly, given his injuries, not to mention his family's relentless commitment to protecting his privacy.
The unsigned article quoted Schumacher as saying that his life had "completely changed" since the accident.
"It was a terrible time for my wife, children and the whole family," Schumacher added.
"I was so badly injured that I lay in a coma for months, otherwise my body wouldn't have been able to cope with it all. ”
But interviews published in April eventually admitted that the quotes were made up and that the magazine did not speak to Schumacher or any of his family.
"Is it really Michael Schumacher himself who said this? On pages related to artificial intelligence," concludes the article, which is now widely ridiculed. ”
It was later revealed that the magazine used character.ai (the site is notorious for allowing users to have "conversations" with celebrities) to fake interviews.
For Now, the aftermath was swift and terrible. The editor at the time, Anne Hoffman, was fired almost immediately, and the editor-in-chief of the magazine's publisher, Fink, said at the time: "This vulgar and misleading article should not have appeared at all." ”
A German media expert called the gimmick "incredibly stupid."
The controversy surrounding the fake interviews was so strong that the Schumacher family planned to sue the publisher, but later seemed to give up.
On April 20, 2023, in Berlin, Germany, a woman holds the cover of the German weekly magazine Die Aktuelle and announces a fake interview with Michael Schumacher
The mystery of Shumi's current health – and what those close to him have revealed so far
Because Corinna and her inner circle have implemented the aforementioned strict privacy controls, little is known about Schumacher's current health. Several of his close friends and former colleagues asked to meet the racer, but they were all denied.
Schumacher's former Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello rejected his request because his advice was that "it doesn't do him or me any good".
A year after the accident, Schumacher's former agent, Willy Webb, claimed that he had tried "dozens" times to seek permission to meet with his old clients, but had been denied, and placed the blame on Corinna for "preventing him" from contacting Schumacher.
He later accused his family of hiding the "whole truth" and admitted earlier this year that he had given up hope of seeing him again.
Former Jordan team boss Eddie Jordan, who gave Schumacher his first start to the sport as a one-time driver at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, revealed that he was similarly excluded, but said he understood the family's strict privacy policy and a closer-than-intimate inner circle.
Since the initial surgery, few have revealed the different surgeries that Schumacher might have undergone to improve his condition. But in 2019 it was reported that he had undergone stem cell treatment at the Georges Pompidou European Hospital in Paris to restore his nervous system.
Under the care of renowned cardiothoracic surgeon Philippe Menascher Schumacher arrived for surgery in an ambulance flanked by a security team of 10 people. It is thought that Schumacher may have received a second round of treatment a year later, but this has not been confirmed.
After the treatment, medical staff said Schumacher was "conscious" but did not provide further information, according to French media outlet Le Parisien.
In addition to this, some key figures in Schumacher's inner circle over the years have also revealed some insights into the legend's current situation.
Corinna Schumacher - loving wife, mother and family rock
Since her husband's accident, Corinna has taken on most of the responsibility for protecting her husband's privacy and organizing his inner circle. But before the tragedy, as he became a superstar, she was an integral part of his huge success.
She is a great equestrian athlete and sportswoman in her own right, winning the European Championships in 2010 while also becoming a shrewd businesswoman, helping Michael and their advisors make beneficial business decisions and investments as he amasses incredibly large sums of money, lucrative contracts and sponsorships from his race wins.
In an interview with the German newspaper Bild, Corinna's friend said: "She was and still is underestimated by many," adding that Michael is one of the few people who really understands how strong she is.
The racer has spoken highly of his wife in several interviews throughout his career, openly declaring that they make decisions together and that she is a source of great power.
Since 2013, Corinna has rarely given interviews, instead focusing on maintaining her husband's privacy, managing his assets, and establishing world-famous horse farms in Switzerland and Texas.
But in the 2021 Netflix documentary Schumacher, Corinna opened up more than ever.
She shared her enduring love for her husband, explaining how she missed their previous life together, but affirmed that the man she married was still there.
"I miss Michael every day. But it's not just me who misses him, it's the kids, the family, his father, everyone around him," Corinna said.
"Everybody misses Michael, but Michael is here and he still shows me every day how strong he is. ”
"I never blamed God for what happened. It's really bad luck – bad luck that anyone can encounter in their lifetime. ”
Corinna also discussed how she feels as if the "guardian angel" has been guarding Schumacher's relatively quiet racing career.
"I don't know if it's just a protective wall you've built yourself, or if you're so naïve — but I didn't expect anything to happen to Michael," she said.
Corinna and Schumacher have been very protective of him since they married in 1995
Jean Todd - Confidant of boss, friend and family
Former Scuderia Ferrari principal and FIA president Todd remains one of Schumacher's closest public friends, and it is believed that he regularly visits his former driver to watch F1 races together.
Over the past decade, Todd has been a trusted face for the Schumacher family and the most visible figure in Schumacher's circle, providing detailed information about Schumacher's day-to-day life.
The 77-year-old said in 2020, "I see Michael a lot – once or twice a month. My answer (when asked how he was) was always the same – he was fighting. ”
The last time Todd directly commented on his friend's health was in 2019, when he said Schumacher's communication skills were extremely limited.
"Of course, our friendship can't be the same as it used to be, just because there is no longer the same communication as before," he said. ”
Earlier this year, Todd insisted that while he didn't miss Schumacher because he was still "here", "he's not the Michael he used to be at all".
"His life is different now, and I have the privilege of sharing moments with him," Todd continued. "That's all there is to say. ”
Unfortunately, fate befell him 10 years ago. He's no longer the Michael we know in Formula 1.
Former FIA president Jean Todd shared some details of the regular time spent with Schumacher
Mick Schumacher - Inherits his father's legacy
Schumacher's son, Mick, was 14 years old when his father was involved in an accident that he witnessed firsthand while accompanying him on this unfortunate trip.
Since then, he has become the most public-focused member of the family, forging his own path in motorsport.
On his way to F1, he won the F3 and F2 youth classes and spent two years as a driver for American manufacturer Haas.
Haas was eventually sacked at the end of the 2022 season due to difficulty competing with larger, more successful teams, but he was retained as a reserve driver by the Mercedes F1 team that his father helped set up in 2010. Representing Alpine in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship.
Mick also paid homage to his father's career by hosting heartwarming exhibition races on the track on several occasions. In 2017, he showed a few laps at Spa-Francorchamps in his father's 1994 Benetton F1 car, in 2020 he drove a record-breaking Ferrari F2004 at the Mugello circuit, and most recently wore his father's original Mercedes overalls and racing helmet when driving at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this summer.
Mick is a very articulate and affable person, and although he is committed to maintaining his father's privacy, he often offers touching insights into their relationship.
He also often discusses the impact of his father's astonishing legacy in motorsport, saying that Schumacher always told him to "do what you love", which gave him the confidence to move up from kart to motorsport before making his F1 debut.
In 2018, Mick described his father as "his idol".
"It was never easy [given my father's career]," Mick said. "What my father did was extraordinary. I cherish it more every day. ”
"I always want to compare myself to the best, and my father is the best. He's also my idol. I would be happy if I could compare myself to him. ”
In a heartbreaking scene in the Netflix documentary, Mick said he wanted to be able to talk to his father about his thriving career, adding in tears that he would be "giving up everything" just for the chance to simply discuss F1 together.
"Of course, since the accident, I believe that these experiences and moments that many people have had with their parents no longer exist or have disappeared to a lesser extent. In my opinion, it's kind of unfair," Mick said.
"I think my dad and I, we're going to understand each other differently now. Simply because we speak a similar language – the language of motorsport – and we have a lot to talk about. ”
"That's what my mind is in most of the time. It's so cool to think about that...... I'm willing to give up everything for that. ”
Mick has a close connection with his father, with the young driver considering Schumacher "his idol"
Ralph Schumacher - brother and racing driver
While Schumacher's immediate family — including his father Rolfe, who lives near his home on Lake Geneva — remained close to their patriarch, other family members, including Schumacher's brother Ralph, have drifted apart.
Former Formula 1 star Ralph Schumacher admits his brother Michael grew up like a "coach and mentor" for both
Ralph is not closely linked to Schumacher's immediate family, but says he is always there to offer support.
"My heart smiles when I see his children, Gina Maria and Mick," Ralph told the German magazine Bunte last November about his estranged relationship with the family.
"If someone in the family asks for my advice, I'll be there. They go their own way. ”
The former F1 driver admitted: "I miss the old Michael. Life is sometimes unfair. Michael was very lucky all his life, but then this tragic accident happened. ”
Ralph, who has won six F1 Grand Prix, stressed that Michael is more than just his older brother.
He told local media: "Michael is not just my brother. He was also my coach and mentor when we were kids. He taught me everything about karting racing. ”
"There may have been a seven-year age gap, but he's always been there for me," Ralph said. We race together, Xi our overtaking skills and everything that is important in motorsport. ”
The former Jordan and Williams driver stressed: "He inherited all the different things that he had internalized. I'm honored to be able to learn from Xi best. ”
Summing up Michael's dire predicament, the 48-year-old entrepreneur and expert added: "Fortunately, advanced medical science offers a lot of opportunities. However, everything is no longer the same as it used to be. ”
Can we still see Schumacher in public?
If we take the first decade after the accident as an example, those who wish to see the motorsport icon in public or receive a decisive update on Schumacher's condition may only be disappointed.
In November, the family's lawyer, Felix Dahm, explained why his inner circle chose not to share detailed updates on his health.
"Protecting private information has always been an issue. Of course, we had a lot of discussions on how to do that," he said.
"We also considered whether the final announcement about Michael's health was the right way to go about it. But that's not the end of it, he explained that there must be a permanent update on the latest situation, which shows that Schumacher's condition is changing.
"The media may discuss such a report again and again a one, two, three months or years after it is published and ask: 'How does it look now?'" If we want to act on this story, we have to deal with the argument that we are voluntarily self-opening.
Dahm recognizes that Schumacher's loyal fans have no way of knowing the condition of their injured hero due to a lack of information, but he believes that those who genuinely support Michael will understand the family's need for privacy.
"I believe that the vast majority of fans have been able to handle this matter very well and also respect the fact that the accident has started a process in which private shelter was necessary and will now continue to be respected. ”
However, there is a glimmer of hope for Todd, who is one of the very few people who sees Schumacher regularly other than his immediate family.
"I want the world to see him again, that's what he and his family are working towards. He said.
It remains to be seen whether Schumacher will return so publicly. But there is no doubt that his virtuosity in driving a Formula 1 car and his positive impact on the lives of millions of people around the world will live on.
Schumacher celebrates on the podium after winning the French F1 Grand Prix at the Magnicourt circuit in France on July 4, 2004
Key moments and updates from Michael Schumacher's health journey
December 29, 2013: Michael Schumacher suffers a brain injury in a skiing accident in the French Alps.
Early 2014: Schumacher fell into a drug-induced coma to aid recovery. Limited information about his condition has sparked widespread speculation.
June 2014: Schumacher was reportedly transferred to a rehabilitation facility in Switzerland, with details of his progress remaining classified.
September 2014: Schumacher's agent, Sabine Keim, announces that Schumacher is no longer in a coma and has been discharged from the hospital to his home in Switzerland to continue his recovery.
June 2015: Keim issued a statement saying that Schumacher's recovery was underway, but stressed the need for privacy.
September 2016: Former Ferrari boss Jean Todd visits Schumacher and reports that the racing legend is "still fighting". No specific details about his condition were disclosed.
December 2016: Schumacher's family issued a rare statement thanking fans for their continued support and reaffirming their commitment to his privacy. "Michael's health is not a public issue, so we will continue to make no comment on it," the statement read. ”
2018: Schumacher is rumored to have been secretly transferred to a private mansion and medical facility in Mallorca. The family denied this, and the theory was widely questioned.
September 2019: Jean Todd provided another update, mentioning that Schumacher was making progress, but acknowledging the severity of the brain injury. Schumacher was receiving stem cell therapy in France, and doctors reported that he was "conscious" but did not provide more information.
September 2021: In a Netflix documentary, several members of Schumacher's family, including wife Corinna and sons Mick and others such as Todd, shared insights into Michael's condition. The information indicates that he is conscious, but unable to speak or communicate properly.
November 2023: Lawyer Felix Damm said Schumacher's family considered "whether finally declaring Michael's health is the right way to go about it." But that's not the end of it, there must be a permanent update on the latest situation, which shows that Schumacher's condition is changing.