Michael Schumacher’s pal reveals agony over crash as he says F1 star ‘never took risks’ & ski trip was ‘harmless’

MICHAEL Schumacher’s pal has told of his agony over the racing star’s near-fatal ski accident because he never took risks on the slopes.

Ex-Mercedes chief Norbert Haug, 71, revealed that the seven-time world champion was on a “harmless trip” and had everything “under control” when he crashed.

Haug, a long-term companion of Schumacher and the head of Mercedes-Benz racing from 1990-2012, has spoken out about his absolute shock that his ski trip ended in such a tragedy.

The Formal One legend told German outlet Bild: “Of course it’s a shame what happened on a really harmless ski trip.

“I can promise that Michael was not a risk-taking skier. He was particularly careful when skiing and, in my opinion, had things under control very, very well.

“That was a real misfortune. Unfortunately, unfortunately.”

Schumacher, 55, considered by many to be the greatest driver in F1 history, hasn’t been seen in public since his life-changing skiing accident over a decade ago.

An accomplished skier, the king of speed, aged 44 at the time, and son Mick, then aged 14, set off for the skin run in the exclusive French resort of Meribel.

Footage from Schumacher’s camera revealed he was not travelling at excessive speed for his abilities yet, moments later, his skis struck a concealed rock which catapulted him 3.5 m head first on to a second boulder.

Doctors later said if it had not been for his headgear, he would have died instantly.

The collision left him in a coma for 250 days and ever since any information about the state of his condition has been tightly controlled by his privacy-focused family led by wife Corinna, 54.

Haug said that Schmacher’s wife Corinna, 54, has been able to hold the family together, which demands the “greatest respect”.

“There are no words,” he added.

Haug also weighed in on his “wonderful” memories with the party-mad German racing legend.

The ex-Mercedes boss said: “There are so many beautiful memories, so many private and human ones away from the racetrack.

“We were fierce rivals… Michael was always really tough on the track, but really friendly and funny off the track and also liked to party. I have wonderful memories of him.”

Ahead of the 10-year anniversary of Schumacher’s accident last December, his younger brother Ralf admitted he may never completely recover.

Despite receiving advanced medical treatment, he told Bild that: “Nothing is like it used to be.”

Ralf, who also raced and won six F1 Grands Prix, said: “Life is unfair at times.

“That day held a lot of bad luck. This fate has changed our family.”

Michael’s F1 pal Perry McCarthy, the man behind Top Gear’s original mystery character The Stig, said his fate was “desperately cruel”.

He told OLBG in December that: “It’s incredible that someone so special can be so badly hurt while skiing.

“It’s so cruel that Michael happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Last month, Schumacher’s former racing opponent opened up about how a return to the world of F1 would “not be possible” for the stricken star.

Ex-Benetton driver Giancarlo Fisichella also told The Sun that he could have gone on to become a team principal for a top team.

In 2021, Corinna broke her silence to talk about her husband in a Netflix documentary, called Schumacher.

She revealed during an emotional interview: “I miss Michael every day. It’s not just me who misses him, everybody misses Michael.

“But Michael is here — different, but here.

“He still shows me how strong he is, every day.”

Corinna revealed of her husband: “We are getting on with our lives — ‘Private is private’, as he always said.

“Michael always protected us, now we are protecting Michael.”

However, in a glimmer of hope, it has been reported Schumacher could attend his daughter’s wedding.

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