Michael Schumacher has not made a public appearance since he narrowly escaped with his life in a skiing accident in the French Alps more than a decade ago. Wife Corianna and the rest of the F1 legend’s family has been fiercely protective of his privacy since the life-altering incident.

Michael Schumacher had nearly lost his life in a skiing accident in December 2013, a little over a year after the final race of his decorated career. Image: AFP

Little is known about Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher’s health and personal life since he narrowly escaped with his life in a skiing accident in 2013 , other than the fact that only a handful of people are allowed to meet him at his residence near Lake Geneva in Switzerland.

Wife Corianna and the rest of the Schumacher family, after all, are fiercely protective of his privacy, just as Michael was of his family before the life-altering accident. And reports suggest that besides limited people being allowed to meet him, Schumacher remains under medical supervision all the time.

Schumacher’s former boss provides update on F1 legend

Flavio Briatore, former team principal of Benetton Formula that Schumacher was part of from 1991 to 1995, offered a unique perspective on the legendary driver while adding that he remains in touch with his wife Corianna.

“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.” Briatore said in an interview with Corriere della Sera recently.

Briatore’s ex-wife Elisabetta Gregoraci, meanwhile, revealed even more details on Schumacher’s condition. “Michael doesn’t speak, he communicates with his eyes. Only three people can visit him and I know who they are,” she said.

Schumacher was widely reported to have made his first public appearance since the skiing accident at his daughter Gina-Maria’s wedding in Majorca, Spain last year. The rumour, however, has since been branded fake by Schumacher’s former teammate at Benetton Johnny Herbert. “Unfortunately, from what I understand, that was all A1 fake news and no truth in it,” Herbert said.

Schumacher had hit his head on a rock while skiing in the French Alps with his son Mick, a little over a year after the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix in which he raced for the final time in his decorated career, and would have died had he not been wearing a skiing helmet. He had to be airlifted to CHU Grenoble Alpes, where he underwent two surgical interventions and had to be put in medically-induced coma.