Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Michael Schumacher, Formula 1, Ferrari, Mercedes
Ryan Smart
German prosecutors were once forced to intervene after a 'friend' of Michael Schumacher attempted to sell a photo of the F1 legend following his skiing incident.
Today marks 10 years since Schumacher suffered serious head injuries in a skiing accident in the French Alps.
The German, who won a record seven F1 world titles during his racing career, was airlifted to hospital before being placed in a medically induced coma until June 2014.
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In a press conference following the accident, doctors said that wearing a helmet saved Schumacher's life, given the nature of the impact.
Since then, there have been no updates given on Schumacher's condition by his family, in order to protect the F1 legend's privacy, and he has not been seen in public.
When accepting the State Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia on behalf of the German last year, his wife Corinna stated: "We try to carry on as a family, as Michael liked it and still does.
"And we are getting on with our lives. 'Private is private', as he always said. It is very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible."
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Only Schumacher's immediate family and closest friends - one of those being his former Ferrari team principal Jean Todt - is allowed to visit the now 54-year-old.
And while they have respected his privacy throughout the past decade, there have been occasions where the family have unfortunately been forced to fiercely protect that privacy.
The Sun reported in 2016, that an unnamed 'friend' had been granted access to Schumacher's house, before taking a picture of the F1 legend.
It was alleged that the photo was offered to European media groups, for a price of €1 million.
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German prosecutors determined both the photograph and its attempted sale a 'violation of his personal range of life' and 'breach of privacy'. The image did not surface.
It was claimed that an investigation was launched at the time, although there were later claims that it had been put on hold.
Schumacher is one of the greatest drivers in F1 history, with his seven world titles only matched by Lewis Hamilton.
He previously held the record for most F1 race wins (91) between 2001 and 2020, before it was broken by Hamilton.
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His career spanned two separate spells, with Schumacher initially retiring in 2006 following an iconic decade-long spell with Ferrari, in which he won five of his world titles. He previously lifted the prestigious trophy in 1994 and 1995 with Benetton.
The German then came out of retirement to join Mercedes, where he spent three seasons between 2010 and 2012. His son, Mick, drove for the Haas F1 team in 2021 and 2022, and is currently Mercedes' reserve driver.