Michael Schumacher Friend 'Doubts We'll See F1 Icon Again' as New Details Emerge

A close friend of Michael Schumacher doesn't believe the public will see the Formula One legend again following on from his horrific accident.

In 2013, just one year after retiring from the sport, the seven-time world champion was involved in a life-altering ski accident while with his son Mick in the French Alps.

Schumacher hit his head on a rock and after being airlifted to hospital, underwent two surgeries after suffering a traumatic brain injury.

He was then placed in a medically-induced coma until June 2014 and though his family have tried to maintain a level of privacy, it is understood that he receives regular care from wife Corinna and medics and cannot speak or communicate.

Only a small circle of people are allowed to visit Schumacher, with former Ferrari team principal Jean Todt and technical director Ross Brawn given access.

Richard Hopkins, who worked as Head of Operations at Red Bull and was previously logistics manager at McLaren, grew close with Schumacher and enjoyed coffee breaks around the paddocks with the Ferrari icon.

Schumacher won seven F1 world titles. Image: Getty

Like many, Hopkins is not privy to the details of Schumacher's state but believes the high level of privacy will still be maintained as he disclosed three people who do visit the German on a frequent basis.

Speaking to SPORTbible, in association with sports betting at Unibet, Hopkins said: "I haven't heard anything recently. I understand he has a Finnish doctor, a personal doctor.

"I don't think we'll see Michael again. I'm slightly uncomfortable talking about his condition because of how secretive, for the right reasons, the family wants to keep it.

"So I can make a remark, have an opinion, but I'm not in that inner circle. I'm not Jean Todt, I'm not Ross Brawn, I'm not Gerhard Berger, who visit Michael. I'm a long way from that."

Asked if he has spoken to anyone who has seen Schumacher since his accident, Hopkins replied: "I can't say I'm best friends with Jean Todt, or Ross, or Gerhard. I think even if you were Ross Brawn's best friend, and you asked how well Michael was, and even if you plied Ross with a lot of good red wine, I don't think he would open up and share. I think there is that respect with anybody who goes to visit Michael not to share anything.

"That's the way the family wants it to be. I think that's fair and respectful towards the family. Even if I did know, the family would be disappointed if I shared anyway."

Earlier in the year, three men were found guilty of lodging a blackmail plot against Schumacher, after threatening to release 'intimate medical images', videos and records unless a sum of £12 million was paid.

Schumacher won 91 Grand Prixs in his career. Image: Getty

Unhappy with the punishments sanctioned, the family vowed to appeal.

How Schumacher thrived in F1

Despite the horrific incident which changed his life forever, Schumacher's legacy cannot be replaced and he is still widely considered one of the best of all time.

Representing Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari and Mercedes, he claimed 91 Grand Prix wins, 68 pole positions and 77 fastest laps in his decorated career.

Hopkins compared Schumacher to a Marvel 'Avenger', continually improving as he achieved more success with an innate drive and confidence in his ability on the track.

He explained: "Formula 1 drivers are complicated but confident human beings. They've made it into Formula 1 because they believe in their ability, and they thrive off that, and they thrive off everybody else saying how great they are and everything else. Michael probably thrived on that more than most. It definitely fueled his confidence.

"And with every successful race weekend, that kept building and building. So he got better because his performance got better because of his relative degree of confidence in himself and compared to others.

"I think he absolutely thrived on it. I've said before, he's like one of these Avengers or something like that, that thrive on energy. The more success he had, the stronger he became. I think maybe every sports person does that, or maybe every person has a degree of that. I think Michael was exceptional in that he thrived on it more than most."