Michael Schumacher has been out of the public eye since his skiing accident in 2013 with his family protecting his privacy, while nephew David recently celebrated his engagement
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Only a small circle of trusted family and friends have been allowed to visit Michael Schumacher (Image: PASCAL GUYOT/AFP/Getty Images)
Michael Schumacher has remained out of public view since suffering a devastating skiing accident in December 2013 that resulted in him sustaining severe brain injuries. The German racing legend, 56, fell while skiing off-piste in the French Alps, hitting his head on a rock despite wearing a helmet.
He was airlifted to hospital and put into a medically induced coma for several months before being moved to his family’s home on Lake Geneva in Switzerland, where he continues to receive 24/7 medical care.
Almost 12 years have passed, and details surrounding Schumacher’s condition remain scarce, though his situation is described as deeply challenging. Reports suggest he is largely bed-bound, unable to speak and dependent on a team of up to 15 caregivers for his daily needs.
Finnish neurosurgeon Dr Jussi Posti, who has been following the case, recently suggested that Schumacher’s condition has likely remained unchanged since the accident. “Based on the information available, I don’t think he leads a very active life,” he told Finnish media outlet Iltalehti.
German broadcaster Felix Gorner echoed these sentiments, describing Schumacher as “a person… who can no longer express himself through language,” adding that it is “a very sad state of affairs.” Court documents from earlier this year further described him as “partly helpless, in need of care and visibly marked” by his injuries.
Sources have disclosed that he communicates without words, mainly through his eyes, with only a select few trusted people permitted to visit, including former Ferrari colleagues Jean Todt and Ross Brawn and ex-driver Gerhard Berger.
Despite the hard times facing the family, the Schumacher’s recently celebrated Michael’s nephew David Schumacher’s engagement. The 24-year-old racer, son of former F1 ace Ralf Schumacher, proposed to Hungarian racing driver Vivien Keszthelyi during a Maldives getaway earlier this month.
Currently racing for Ford as a factory driver, Schumacher announced the news on Instagram alongside his fiance with the pair posting several loved-up photos on a picture-esque beach with a caption that read: “She said Yes, he ocean witnessed our love, and the sunset sealed our promise, 05. 11. 2025.”
The couple have been together for several years after first meeting through a mutual friend and are now preparing to get hitched – over a year since his cousin Gina-Marie got married to Iain Bethke which the F1 icon was said to have attended.
The Schumacher family has fiercely guarded Michael’s privacy, with long-time manager Sabine Kehm stating in 2016: “Michael’s health is not a public issue, and so we will continue to make no comment in that regard.”
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The F1 icon’s privacy has been closely guarded by his family(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
His wife, Corinna, has remained resolute in this stance, stating in a 2021 Netflix documentary: “We’re trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does. Michael always protected us, and now we are protecting Michael.”
Their son, Mick, another former F1 driver, shared in the same film on the emotional impact: “I think dad and me, we would understand each other in a different way now… I would give up everything just for that.”
Despite the family’s best efforts to maintain privacy, Schumacher’s condition has been revealed through leaks and blackmail attempts. Earlier this year, a sinister extortion plot emerged involving ex-nightclub bouncer Yilmaz Tozturkan and his associates, who demanded £12million to stop them releasing nearly 900 photographs, 600 videos and medical documents onto the dark web.
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Little is known about Schumacher’s health status(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The images depict Schumacher lying in a hospital bed, sitting in a wheelchair and connected to medical equipment. Tozturkan was handed a three-year jail term, whilst his accomplices received suspended sentences.
However, a missing hard drive continues to cause alarm, with barrister Thilo Damm cautioning: “We don’t know where the missing hard drive is… there is the possibility of another threat through the backdoor.”
