Everything we know about Michael Schumacher's health condition as heartbreaking update given on F1 legend

Michael Schumacher suffered a traumatic brain injury from a skiing accident in the French Alps in December 2013. Here is what we know about the F1 legend since then.

The seven-time Formula 1 Drivers' Champion had retired from the sport at the end of the previous season, leaving Mercedes after three seasons with the team.

Schumacher had been tempted out of a four-year retirement by the Silver Arrows in 2010 after they acquired the Brawn GP team, and was partnered up with Nico Rosberg.

He became the oldest driver in 30 years, at 43, to set a fastest qualifying time at the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix, but was moved down to sixth due to a penalty.

Under two months before his ski accident, Schumacher gave an interview to F1's official website in which he stated that he did not miss in F1, adding: "It's not that I need it, and my life is pretty joyful right now. I wouldn't have had the energy for further years [in the sport beyond 2012]."

Two months later, Schumacher would be airlifted to hospital at Moutiers, Southeastern France.

Here is what we know about his condition since.

Michael Schumacher accident details and hospital treatment

While skiing with his son, Mick, Schumacher hit a boulder and fell forward onto a rock, causing blunt force trauma to his head.

After being airlifted to hospital with a traumatic brain injury, he was transferred to a specialist medical centre in Grenoble and placed in a medically-induced coma. An emergency operation also took place.

In a press conference, doctors stated that the German's life had undoubtedly been saved by his decision to wear a helmet.

He was lifted out of the coma in June 2014 and, in September of that year, returned home to a private property with his family for further treatment.

Strict rules for visiting Schumacher after accident

He is cared for by his wife Corinna - who has remained firm in protecting her husband's privacy surrounding his condition - and a significant number of medical staff at the property, it has been reported.

In the 'Schumacher' Netflix documentary in 2021, Corinna stated: "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. And to simply make him feel our family, our bond."

Who can visit Schumacher?

It is believed that only a small 'inner circle' of Schumacher's close friends and family members have had access to the seven-time world champion since his ski accident.

One of those is his former Ferrari team principal Jean Todt, who told L'Equipe in December 2023: "Michael is here, so I don't miss him.

"[But he] is simply not the Michael he used to be. 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."

Todt also reveals that he still watches Formula 1 races with Schumacher.

His brother, Ralf, meanwhile, drove alongside the seven-time champion in F1 and also has regular access.

He commented in a 2023 interview: "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.

"Fortunately, advanced medical science provides many opportunities. However, nothing is like it used to be."

When was Schumacher last seen in public?

Last October, German outlet BILD reported that Schumacher was 'very likely' to have attended the wedding of his daughter Gina in Majorca.

It was claimed that guests at the wedding had been told to hand in their phones, to avoid the risk of any photos of Schumacher or his property being taken and potentially leaked to the press.

It has not been made clear as to whether the public appearance was indeed genuine. If it was, it would have been the first time Schumacher had been seen in public since his 2013 accident.

The latest on Schumacher's health

Earlier this year, at the Bahrain Grand Prix, F1 legend Jackie Stewart unveiled a new autographed helmet which would be auctioned to raise funds for his 'Race Against Dementia' charity.

The helmet had been signed by every living F1 Drivers' Champion - including Schumacher.

Stewart, who won the championship in 1969, 1971 and 1973, told the Daily Mail that Schumacher's wife Corinna helped him sign it: "It is wonderful that Michael could sign the helmet in this worthy cause - a disease for which there is no cure.

"His wife helped him, and it completed the set of every single champion still with us."

In an interview with Correire della Sera last week, current Alpine team boss Flavio Briatore appeared to indicate that Schumacher was at least partially bed-bound.

He said: "If I close my eyes. I see him smiling after a victory. I prefer to remember him like that, rather than him just lying on a bed."

Briatore added that he still has contact with Schumacher's wife Corinna, but has not requested to visit the driver whom he managed as team boss of Benetton between 1993 and 1996.

Briatore's ex-wife Elisabetta Gregoraci previously claimed of Schumacher: "Michael doesn't speak. He communicates with his eyes. Only three people can visit him and I know who they are."