The mystery around Michael Schumacher's condition following his tragic skiing accident

In his prime, Michael Schumacher was untouchable. A legitimate claim to being the greatest Formula One driver of all time, he was a real-life action man who could seemingly do it all. That is, until an unimaginable tragedy changed his life forever.

A seven-time world champion credited with revolutionising the sport of Formula One Racing, Michael Schumacher had little left to prove on the track when he left the sport in late 2012.

By all accounts, the legend was also looking forward to an action-packed life outside of the sport that had consumed so much of his time since 1991. 

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That was not to be, unfortunately, after a tragic ski accident in December 2013 left him with a traumatic brain injury.

Schumacher was skiing on the slopes in Meribel in the French Alps with his son Mick when the accident took place on 29 December 2013.

Schumacher, a highly-experienced skier, fell and hit his head on a rock while crossing an off-piste area – suffering a serious head injury despite wearing a ski helmet.

The accident would have been fatal had he not been wearing protective gear, doctors reported at the time. It was an earth-shattering turn of events for the man who was just one year into a well-earned retirement.

On the day of the accident, Schumacher expressed his concerns about the conditions on the mountain at Meribel, his wife Corinna revealed in the Netflix documentary 'Schumacher.'

"Shortly before it happened in Meribel, he said to me, 'The snow isn't optimal. We could fly to Dubai and go skydiving there'," she explained.

His brain injury was so traumatic that Schumacher had to be placed into a medically induced coma, where he would remain until June 2014.

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Since then, Schumacher has been released from hospital and continues to do rehabilitation for his condition, but updates on his progress are infrequent and little is officially known about his current state.

There are clues however, which so far have come from his wife Corinna, son Mick, and close friend Philippe Streiff. 

According to Philippe Streiff (pictured), a former F1 driver, Schumacher is paralysed and is in a wheelchair.

“He is getting better but everything is relative. It's very difficult. He can't speak. Like me, he is in a wheelchair, paralysed. He has memory problems and speech problems," Streiff, who passed away in December 2022, told The Independent in 2014.

Son Mick, who recently shared an image of the pair together when Mick was a boy in honour of his father’s birthday, has said one of the most heartbreaking things is that he cannot speak with his father about the sport of Formula One.

(Image Credit:@mickschumacher)

Mick, who followed his father into the sport, revealed in 'Schumacher,' “We would have had much more to talk about and that is where my head is most of the time, thinking that would be so cool. I would give up everything just for that."

Corinna, who has been fiercely private about the details regarding Michael's current condition and injuries, also opened up about how she and the family "miss" him every day, but continue to be amazed by his strength.

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"I miss Michael every day. But it's not just me who misses him. It's the children, the family, his father, and everyone around him. Everybody misses Michael, but Michael is here – different, but here," she said.

She continued: "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 to simply make him feel our family, our bond. And no matter what, I will do everything I can."

That's not to say that everyone has been so accepting of the family's protection of Michael. In 2023, German magazine 'Die Aktuelle' made headlines around the world after publishing an exclusive interview with Schumacher. The only problem was the interview was fabricated and generated by AI. The family labeled the stunt 'disrespectful' and as of April 2023 have been pursuing legal action against the publishers.

Another violation of the family's privacy emerged in June 2024, when three men were arrested for allegedly attempting to blackmail Corinna for €12.5 million (approximately £10.8 million or $13.2 million) in exchange for not releasing "compromising information" about the family. If convicted, they could face up to 15 years in prison, according to Sky Sports.

Schumacher, despite all the setbacks, is still a part of his family's life as much as possible, and reportedly was in attendance of his daughter Gina's (right) wedding in Majorca in late September 2024. Guests were reportedly banned from taking their phones to the wedding amid reports the seven-time F1 champion was present, The Daily Mail reports, reinforcing the family's protection of their patriarch's condition.

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