A FORMER racing opponent of Michael Schumacher has opened up about how a return to F1 would “not be possible” for the stricken star.
Ex-Benetton driver Giancarlo Fisichella said Schumacher, 55, could have gone on to become a team principal for a top team.
But the F1 legend has not been seen since suffering a severe brain injury in a horror ski accident ten years ago.
Only a select few have been allowed to see Schumacher – with his recovery has been shrouded in secrecy.
Fisichella, 51, said one of his greatest regrets was not getting to call Schumacher his teammate as their careers overlapped.
He told The Sun: “I think Michael was one of the best drivers in the world, he is the history of Formula One. He won seven times the championship.
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“I sometimes tried to watch videos about his trajectory. It was a good point of reference for all of us.
“I’m really honoured to have raced against him and, especially when sometimes I went on the podium and I shared the podium with him.
“I’ve got great memories with him.
“I’m a little bit disappointed because I never raced with him in as a teammate in the same team because I really respected him and I think he’s probably the best driver in the world.”
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Schumacher was left in a coma for 250 days after his skis struck a rock hidden beneath the snow on the Combe de Saulire ski run in the exclusive French resort of Meribel.
He catapulted forward 11.5ft and crashed into a boulder head first that split his helmet into two and left him needing to be airlifted to hospital for two life-saving operations.
After he woke up in June 2014, he was discharged from hospital and sent to his home in Lake Geneva to get further treatment.
Since then his wife Corinna and his inner circle of friends have expertly avoided almost anything leaking out about his health status.
Only small amounts of information have been released including reports that Schumacher was in a wheelchair but can react to things around him.
Fisichella – who shared the podium with Schumacher at several Grand Prixs and speaking to us via sports betting website OLBG – said he believes the Mercedes star’s career would have flourished if it wasn’t for his accident.
He said: “Michael was a great driver, but for sure he could be also a great manager or team principal in a top team.
“So it’s a shame it’s not possible for him in his condition, you know.
“He was very tough to overtake. He was a great driver, you know.”
Italian racer Fisichella said off the circuit, Schumacher was a great friend and even played football together.
“I think Michael was one of the best drivers in the world, he is the history of Formula One
Giancarlo Fisichella
He added: “We had a good time together.
“We did a lot of football games for charity together and, it was great.
“After the, after the game, it was good to go to the restaurant together having some fun, he was a pretty great guy.”
It comes after ex-Mercedes boss Nick Fry revealed Schumacher is receiving “the best medical treatment in human history”.
Fry said he wouldn’t be surprised if Schuey does sit at the dinner table after reports were shared by Michael’s retired pal, Johnny Herbert.
“I haven’t heard anything about Michael Schumacher’s condition, so I’m unable to confirm or deny any of the recent reports about him,” Fry told Online Betting Guide.
“Michael has the best medical team in the world, and I’m 100 per cent sure that no human being in history has had the treatment Michael has had for his specific injury. The family has the resources.”
In a glimmer of hope, it has been reported Schumacher could attend his daughter’s wedding.
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Gina-Maria Schumacher, 26, and her boyfriend, Iain Bethke, 27, are set to tie the knot later this summer in a huge celebration.
The wedding is reportedly due to take place at a luxury £27million mansion owned by the Schumacher family over in Majorca, Spain.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
