What Michael Schumacher’s ‘inner circle of only 20 people’ know about health after ‘sad’ update
It’s been nearly 12 years since Michael Schumacher’s tragic skiing accident, and the Formula 1 icon hasn’t been seen in public since, with just his ‘inner circle’ knowing details about his condition
Michael Schumacher, one of the greatest drivers in Formula 1 history, has remained out of the public eye since his life-altering skiing accident in December 2013. The seven-time world champion suffered a severe brain injury after hitting his head on a rock while skiing off-piste, and has required round-the-clock medical care ever since.
His family has fiercely guarded his privacy, revealing little about his condition over the years. However, this week it emerged that he is “completely dependant” on his caregivers, and “can no longer express himself verbally”, as revealed by Felix Gorner, a reporter for German broadcaster RTL.
“The situation is very sad,” he said, before explaining that only about 20 people have access to the racing legend – a deliberate choice by the family to protect him.
Despite this secrecy, some within Schumacher’s inner circle have shared occasional glimpses into his health. Here, Mirror Sport examines what those closest to him have revealed over the years about his condition and ongoing care.
Corinna Schumacher
Michael’s wife Corinna has been at the forefront of the battle to ensure her husband’s privacy. However, as part of the 2021 Netflix documentary Schumacher, she offered a rare insight into his state.
“Michael is here. Different, but he’s here, and that gives us strength, I find,” she explained. “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. We all will.
“We’re trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives. ‘Private is private’, as he always said. It’s very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible. Michael always protected us and now we are protecting Michael.”
She added: “I miss Michael every day. But it’s not just me who misses him. It’s the children, the family, his father, everyone around him.”
Mick Schumacher
Michael’s son Mick Schumacher, who followed in his father’s footsteps by competing in F1 between 2021 and 2022, rarely ever speaks about the tragic incident or his father’s health. However, in 2022, he heartbreakingly admitted: “I would give anything to talk to dad”.
Mick was skiing with Michael when the accident occurred in 2013. He was just 14 years old. “I started racing in the Formula classes the year after and from that point onwards, I had to find my own feet,” Mick said.
Jean Todt
One of the most trusted figures outside the family is Jean Todt, who was Ferrari team principal during Schumacher’s era of success with the team. The Frenchman has visited Schumacher regularly and even claims to have watched F1 races on TV with him.
In 2022, he told German broadcaster NTV: “I don’t miss Michael. I can see him. But of course, what I miss is what we used to do together,” before adding, “Yes it’s true – I watch [F1] races with Michael.”
In a more recent update, Todt told L’Equipe that Schumacher is “simply not the Michael he used to be”. He explained: “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 10 years ago. He is no longer the Michael we knew in Formula 1.”
He later clarified: “People ask so much about Michael. The fans should know that he is in the best of hands. In the best situation he can be and surrounded by people who love him.”
Ralf Schumacher
Ralf Schumacher, who also raced in F1, has occasionally opened up about his brother’s condition. In a mixed update, he told Bild: “Fortunately, advanced medical science provides many opportunities. However, nothing is like it used to be.”
In 2023, he spoke of his heartache at losing contact with Corinna and Michael in the aftermath of the horrific accident. Speaking with German magazine Bunte, Ralf said: “When I see his children Gina-Maria and Mick, my heart smiles. If someone in the family is looking for my advice, I’m there. They go their own way.”
He continued: “I miss the Michael of the old days. Life is unfair from time to time. Michael was very lucky throughout his life. But then there was this tragic accident. Michael wasn’t only my brother. When we were kids, he was also my coach and mentor. He taught me literally everything about kart racing.”
Johnny Herbert
One of Schumacher’s former team-mates, Johnny Herbert, has said he heard rumours that the 91-time grand prix winner sits at the table with his family at meal times. Herbert told BettingSites.co.uk: “I hear, from those within F1, he does sit at the table for dinner but I don’t know if that is true.
“We haven’t heard much from the family and understandably so. That has always been very much a part of Michael and the family’s way to keep everything very private, very secretive.”
Herbert added: “In my opinion, and I must stress this, because we haven’t heard anything from the family, it shows that unfortunately he is probably in the similar situation as he was straight after the accident.”
Reports from Germany claimed that Schumacher attended the wedding of his daughter Gina-Maria and her husband Iain Bethke earlier last year, with wedding guests allegedly asked to leave their phones at the door so that Michael wouldn’t be photographed.
Herbert, however, shut down the claims and labelled the suggestions ‘fake news’. He told Flashscore: “It will always be a closed shop. The most recent rumour was he attended his daughter’s wedding. Unfortunately, from what I understand that was all A1 fake news and no truth in it.”
Roger Benoit
One of the few journalists allowed into Schumacher’s inner circle was Roger Benoit, who issued a heartbreaking update in early 2023. The friend of the family told Blick: “No [there is no hope].
“There is only one answer to this question and that is what his son Mick gave in one of his rare interviews in 2022: ‘I would give anything to talk to dad’. This sentence says everything about how his father has been doing for over 3,500 days. A case without hope.”
Philippe Streiff
Almost a year after Schumacher’s accident, fellow ex-racer Philippe Streiff said he German was paralysed and wheelchair-bound, a claim which has remained unconfirmed. However, a few years later, French magazine Paris Match published an interview with an unnamed relative, who revealed: “When you put him in his wheelchair facing the beautiful panorama of the mountains overlooking the lake [Lake Geneva, near the family home], Michael sometimes cries.
“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.”
Gary Hartstein
Despite the devastating repercussions of his skiing accident, Schumacher may have been conscious and talking immediately after it, according to former F1 trackside doctor Gary Hartstein.
He told Sky News at the time: “It’s quite well known that extradural haematomas, a kind of cerebral haemorrhage, can leave a lucid interval after injury. Then as the haematoma forms, the increase in pressure causes sudden and dramatic symptoms. Pressure must be relieved rapidly.”
Elisabetta Gregoraci
Elisabetta Gregoraci, the ex-wife of former F1 team boss Flavio Briarote, told Spanish press in 2020: “Michael doesn’t speak, he communicates with his eyes. Only three people can visit him and I know who they are.”
In additional comments made on the Italian version of Big Brother, Elisabetta claimed: “They moved to Spain and his wife has set up a hospital in that house.”
