Michael Schumacher is ‘no longer the man we knew’ admits pal in heartbreaking update | World | News | Express.co.uk
Michael Schumacher is “no longer the Michael we knew in Formula 1”, a close friend has said, a decade after the racing legend suffered a devastating brain injury.
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Michael Schumacher’s family has fiercely guarded his privacy (Image: Getty Images)
Schumacher, 54, has not been seen in public since a horrific skiing accident left him in a medically induced coma for 250 days.
His family has fiercely guarded his privacy, sharing few details of his condition.
Speaking to a French sports newspaper, former Ferrari and FIA president Jean Todt gave a rare update.
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.”
The German icon won two F1 championships for Benneton and five for Ferrari. After retiring in 2006, he briefly returned to the sport between 2010 and 2012.
Schumacher was skiing off-piste with his son Mick, then aged 14, in the French Alps when tragedy struck on December 29 2013.
He fell and hit his head on a rock, suffering a serious brain trauma despite wearing a helmet.
Mick, who has himself driven in F1, also opened up about his father’s legacy in a new five-part documentary “Being Michael Schumacher”.
The 24-year-old recalled wearing his dad’s helmet while driving a Mercedes car Schumacher previously drove in his penultimate F1 season.
Mick said: “I asked if it would be possible to wear his suit, too, to wear my Dad’s helmet and suit. It made it an even nicer experience than it would have been.
“It was a good car to drive, to do a few donuts in, and to pay a kind of tribute to my father.”
The documentary released by German broadcaster ARD this week, close to the 10th anniversary of the accident, charts Schumacher’s rise to become one of the most successful F1 drivers of all time.
In the years since he disappeared from the public eye, Schumacher has been cared for by his family and medical team at their home in Lake Geneva.
His wife, Corinna, 54, told a 2021 Netflix documentary his rehabilitation was continuing and described him as “different, but here”.
She said: “He still shows me how strong he is every day.
“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.”
Corinna added that privacy was important to them, saying: “Michael always protected us, and now we are protecting Michael.”