An expert neurosurgeon has given his view on Michael Schumacher's possible condition, following a major update on from RTL journalist Felix Gorner.
Schumacher suffered a severe head injury after a skiing accident in the French Alps in 2013 just one year after he retired from F1.
The seven-time F1 world champion was airlifted to hospital, where he was placed in an induced coma.
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He came out of the coma in June 2014, with his manager subsequently announcing that he would finally be returning home for a 'long period of rehabilitation'.
Information on Schumacher's condition in the years since has been very minimal, however, German broadcaster, Gorner, has recently shed more light on the situation.
"The situation is very sad," said Gorner via The Daily Mail.
"He needs constant care and is completely dependent on his caregivers and he can no longer express himself verbally.
"Currently, there's a maximum of 20 people who can approach Michael," he added.
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There have been far more updates on Schumacher in recent months, with claims he attended his daughter's wedding back in October having mixed credibilty.
Now, an expert neurosurgeon has explained the recovery process that tends to occur in patients in Schumacher's condition, however, details differ on a case by case basis.
Jussi Posti, who is the head of the neurosurgery and traumatic brain injury department at a hospital in Finland, told local outlet Iltalehti: "I doubt that anything sudden has changed at this stage.
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"Typically, patients recover what they can recover for up to two years, and then the level of recovery is usually set. Essentially, these types of patients are very experimental models at best.
"There are various after-effects of brain damage. For example, the injury can make the patient unwilling to communicate with anyone other than his immediate family.
"It may also be the case that no-one other than the patient's immediate family can stimulate him or her enough to communicate in a meaningful way."
Topics: Michael Schumacher, Formula 1
Tom Jenkins