Michael Schumacher, 55, is one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, with seven championship titles that ties him for the record with Lewis Hamilton. But in 2013, Michael’s life changed forever when he got into a horrific skiing accident that resulted in severe brain damage. It’s been over a decade since the incident and sadly Michael still has not fully recovered.
The latest update on Michael’s health came from retired racing driver Johnny Herbert, who said in January 2024 that Michael is able to “sit at the table for dinner” with his family.
Here is everything you need to know about Michael’s accident and how he’s doing today.
What Happened to Michael Schumacher?
On December 29, 2013, Michael was skiing with his then-14-year-old son Mick in Switzerland. Michael fell and hit his head on a rock. Despite wearing a helmet, he sustained a major head injury. Michael was flown to a nearby hospital in France where he underwent two surgeries on his brain. Michael was placed in a medically induced coma until June 2014, after which he spent the next three months in another hospital recovering. In September 2014, Michael was released from the hospital to recover at home with his wife, Corinna, by his side.
Is Michael Schumacher Alive?
Yes, Michael Schumacher is still alive. However, since the accident his family has been extremely private about how the German racer is doing It’s been reported that Corinna limits who can visit her husband, who is recovering at their house in Switzerland.
In the 2022 Netflix documentary Schumacher, Corinna, who shares two children with Michael, broke down in tears while discussing his condition.
“Of course, 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,” she said. “I mean, everybody misses Michael, but Michael is here. Different, but he’s here and that gives us strength, I find.
“We’re together. We live together at home. We do therapy. We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he’s comfortable,” Corinna added. “And to simply make him feel our family, our bond.
In December 2023, Michael’s former boss Jean Todt told L’Equipe he’s among the few family and close friends who are allowed to visit Michael at his home. “Michael [Schumacher] is here, so I don’t miss him,” Jean told the publication. “But he is not the Michael of before. He is different and he is wonderful manner assisted by his wife and children, who protect him. His life has changed and I am privileged to be able to share moments with him from time to time,” he added.
Johnny Herbert, one of Michael’s former F1 rivals, gave the latest update on the legendary racer’s condition in an interview with Betting Sites published January 9.
“I hear bits only second hand. I hear, from those within F1, he does sit at the table for dinner but don’t know if that is true,” Johny said. “I can only read between the lines. 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.”
Johnny continued, “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. It doesn’t seem they have moved much, if at all. I suppose the family is waiting for science to come up with something that will hopefully bring back the Michael we all knew and for the people who only saw him through the television pictures when he was being dynamic on a race track.”