MICHAEL Schumacher’s close friend and former boss Jean Todt has said the F1 legend “is no longer the Michael we knew” in the latest update on his condition.
December 29 will mark a decade since the racer’s tragic ski accident in the French Alps that left him in a medically-induced coma for 250 days.
Schumacher, now 54, hasn’t appeared publicly ever since as his family provided very few updates on his condition.
But now, ex-Ferrari and FIA boss Todt has given fans a glimpse into Schumacher’s current state.
“Michael is here, so I don’t miss him,” he told French paper L’Equipe in a recent interview.
“He’s just not the Michael he used to be.
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“He’s different and he’s wonderfully guided by his wife and children who protect him.
“His life is different now, and I am privileged to share moments with him.
“Unfortunately, fate struck him ten years ago.
“He is no longer the Michael we knew in Formula 1.”
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F1 presenter Florian König also revealed the one thing he tells every curious fan asking about Schumacher’s health.
Speaking to German producers ARD, König said: “Whenever someone speaks to me, at the airport or elsewhere, the question often comes up: ‘Do you know how Michael is doing? Do you know what’s going on now?’
“I always say the same thing: I don’t ask the family at all.”
The presenter, 56, explained why he also doesn’t seek answers from the Schumacher family.
“I absolutely respect the fact that they only gave very sparse information, and I think that’s right,” he said.
König, one of RTL’s Formula One faces for many years, added: “I notice from these questions that people are still interested and that they still share in his fate.”
Meanwhile, Schumacher’s F1 pal Mark Blundell shared heartbreaking regrets over the racing legend’s tragic skiing accident.
The former McLaren driver, who called Schumacher ruthless and brilliant, said he hopes the Ferrari racer is fit enough to understand the sport.
Blundell, 57, raced in Formula One and competed against the German legend in the 90s.
Before getting into F1, the two also raced in sports cars.
And now the former McLaren star has opened up about Michael’s tragic skiing crash which left him in a medically induced coma in December 2013.
He said: “At the end of the day, what happened to him was incredibly difficult to take.
“I don’t know where we are today with Michael’s health as he’s rightly guarded.
“He’s still around, and hopefully he understands what’s going on. That would be a plus. It’s very difficult.”
Speaking to OLBG, Blundell expressed his regrets over Michael not being able to share amazing anecdotes from his thrilling career – and said it is a “huge loss” for the F1 community.
“Michael is a big loss for F1 as he had all of those titles under his belt, and we’re sadly not able to hear about those accolades and how he went about getting them.
“It’s such a shame we missed out on his insight.
“We also missed on how he could have supported his son and other up-and-coming drivers.
“That’s a huge loss.”
It comes as a new five-part documentary by German broadcaster ARD might shed some light on what happened all those years ago and how the former Ferrari and Benetton star is now faring.
“Being Michael Schumacher”, to be aired on December 28, will explore the driver’s early years including his rise to prominence, from a go-karting background to one of the best drivers in Formula 1 history.
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The new series will follow a 2021 documentary produced by Netflix in which Schumacher’s wife Corinna remained tight-lipped about her husband’s condition, saying only that he was “different” post-crash.
Corinna is known to have protected her husband’s privacy to such an extent that only their immediate family and the closest of their friends know any details about how he is doing.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
