F1

F1 LEGEND Michael Schumacher reportedly “sits at the dinner table” according to his retired pal, Johnny Herbert.His ex teammate revealed the major update in a recent interview but explained that he can’t be sure it’s true as he heard it “second hand”.
Johnny Herbert, left, has recently given an update on Michael Schumacher’s healthCredit: Getty
Herbert said he hears that the star is sitting at the dinner tableCredit: Adrian Sherratt – The Sunday Times  
Herbert said he only heard this “second hand” and can’t be sureCredit: AFP
Schumacher hasn’t been seen since he was involved in a horrific skiing accident in 2013 – and information on his health has been scarce.
However, it now appears some light has been shed on the star’s health, following years of mystery.
Herbert gave BettingSites.co.uk the update whilst also sharing some more little known detail about Schumacher and his character.
He said: “I hear bits only second hand. I hear, from those within F1, he does sit at the table for dinner but don’t know if that is true. I can only read between the lines.”
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“We haven’t heard much from the family and understandably so. That has always been very much a part of Michael and the family’s way to keep everything very private, very secretive.
“That has carried on from his racing days. I don’t feel things have moved on in a way that many of us who knew him and many of his fans around the world want to see. ”
Herbert also shared some of his “lovely memories” of his time spent with Schumacher – including his fondness for booze and his “party piece.”
He said: “We all know there was the massively serious side to him totally driven by getting the best out of himself.
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“But there was that end of season downtime, the relaxed moment we always had after Adelaide.
“He would enjoy the alcohol treats that were available and we all did. We could only do it once a year. 
He added: “He would go around the room and his party piece was to rip off everybody’s shirts. Trousers too. But it was mainly buttoned shirts which he would love to rip off.
“That was the fun side of him. Those are the memories most people didn’t see, but they are the lovely memories I have of him.
“He had a great sense of humour and hopefully something we will see again.”
Although Herbert is hopeful, he believes that Schumacher is most likely “in the similar situation as he was straight after the accident,” given the lack of updates.
He said: “I suppose the family is waiting for science to come up with something that will hopefully bring back the Michael we all knew.”
The number of people who have been allowed to visit the star over the years has been strictly limited.
Herbert thinks this includes the family and “very few trusted individuals.”
He said: “I have heard Ross Brawn has gone, Jean Todt Gerhard Berger. That is sort of it as far as I believe.”
It comes as last week it was revealed Schumacher’s daughter, Gina, will marry her fiance later this year.
The 26-year-old is set to tie the knot with 27-year-old boyfriend Iain Bethke later this year, reports German magazine Bunte and Spanish publication Ultima Hora.
This is not the only time Johnny Herbert has made headlines recently.
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In November he claimed he“doesn’t listen” to Christian Horner as he responded to the claim that Lewis Hamilton could join Red Bull.
Red Bull team principal Horner claimed that a member of the Brit’s entourage had reached out to him regarding a sensational switch.
The F1 legend had a tragic skiing accident in 2013 and updates on his health have been few and far betweenCredit: AFP
Only a handful of people are permitted to visit the starCredit: Rex
Gina Schumacher is set to marry her fiance, Iain Bethke, this year More

MICHAEL Schumacher’s secret inner circle is set to welcome another member after his son Mick’s girlfriend was granted permission to visit.Danish model Laila Hasanovic, 23, has been with Mick for 18 months and was given a vote of confidence by the family to see Michael, according to reports.
Mick Schumacher with his Danish girlfriend Laila HasanovicCredit: Instagram
Fomer Miss Denmark finalist and top model Laila has been allowed to see her boyfriend’s dad for the first time despite only a handful of people being allowedCredit: Instagram
F1 icon Michael Schumacher has had a secret inner circle since his tragic ski crash in 2013 to keep his life privateCredit: Alamy
The decision to let her see Mick’s father was made before the tenth anniversary of the tragic ski crash that left Michael in a coma for 250 days.
The lovers regularly share loved-up photos to their millions of followers on social media as Mick, 24, embarks on a new career in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship with Alpine.
Mick was alongside his father on the day of the crash and according to former driver Johnny Herbert has found the years since incredibly tough.
He said: “Mick has said he could always talk to Michael about racing before the accident. That is one of the saddest things for any sportsman.
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“It would have been a very important part of his development at that time. But Mick never had that unfortunately. He just had that relationship up until the skiing accident.
Laila comes from Copenhagen and has Bosnian roots and was first seen by Schumacher’s side at the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix.
Since then the former Miss Denmark finalist and Mick have gone from strength to strength and made a good impression on Mick’s mum Corinna and the rest of the family.
The news of her addition marks a huge step forward as outside of family only a limited group of people are allowed to see Schuey.
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Schumacher’s daughter Gina is also set to get married later this year at the family’s luxury villa in Majorca.
The 26-year-old will tie the knot with 27-year-old boyfriend Iain Bethke later this year, reports German magazine Bunte and Spanish publication Ultima Hora.
Since 2013, his wife Corinna has been creating a private world around Michael as he continues his recovery – including forming a tight knit group of people allowed to see the great man and those who can’t.
Schumacher has regular meetings with his former teammate Luca Badoer and manager Sabine Kehm – who is arguably the closest non-family member to Michael both before and after his accident.
Ex-Ferrari driver Felipe Massa, 42, is regarded by the Schumacher family as “Michael’s younger brother” and was allowed to see his old pal but gave little information on Schuey’s condition.
The third member of the so called inner circle is Jean Todt who has been close to Michael for over 30 years.
The pair reportedly watch F1 races together but Todt has admitted the F1 legend “is no longer the Michael we knew” before the accident.
Corinna has also been forced to cut out certain people to keep the family’s privacy a priority and for the sake of Schuey.
Some of these people include ex-teammate Rubens Barrichello, former manager Will Weber and ex-F1 team boss Eddie Jordan.
Weber once made sensational claims that “we have only heard lies” from the distraught family.
As an accomplished skier, the retired seven-times world champion, and his then 14-year-old son set off on the Combe de Saulire ski run in the exclusive French resort of Meribel, over a decade ago.
Footage from his helmet camera revealed he was not travelling at excessive speed when his skis struck a rock hidden beneath the snow.
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.
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Doctors later said the headgear is the only reason he’s still alive.
Michael was then placed in a medically induced coma to try to reduce the swelling and in the decade since the F1 superstar has never been seen in public and health updates have been very rare.
The couple have been together since August 2022Credit: Instagram More

FORMER Formula 1 driver Wilson Fittipaldi Jr has suffered a cardiac arrest after choking on a piece of meat.Fittipaldi Jr, whose brother Emerson won two F1 world titles, was celebrating his 80th birthday on Christmas Day when the horrific incident took place.
Wilson Fittipaldi Jr suffered a cardiac arrest after choking on a piece of meatCredit: Getty
Fittipaldi competed in Formula 1 in the early and mid-1970sCredit: Getty
He was resuscitated and is currently sedated in hospital.
A post from his wife on Instagram read: “During dinner, he choked on a piece of meat and suffered a lack of oxygen followed by cardiac arrest.
“He was resuscitated and is now sedated and intubated, we are waiting for him to wake up.
“He has a difficult post-surgical history of returning post-sedative, one day at a time, let’s wait.”
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According to The Independent, Fittipaldi’s son Christian, who is also an ex-F1 driver, attended the hospital with his dad.
In the social media post, his wife went on to add: “Yesterday I received countless phone calls and kind messages of support for the whole family.
“I appreciate all the messages, I know they are the ones that give us strength in this very difficult time.
“Continue the positive vibes of health and restoration for Wilsinho. God will make the best!”
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Fittipaldi started 35 F1 races between 1972 and 1975, claiming three points during his short career in the sport.
Alongside his world champion brother Emerson, he set up the first and only Brazilian F1 team – Fittipaldi-Copersucar – in 1974.
The team raced in F1 from 1975 to 1982. More

VALTTERI BOTTAS has revealed his stunning plans to swap sports when his F1 career is over.The 34-year-old is in the autumn of his F1 career and already planning for life after motor racing.
Valtteri Bottas has opened up on his plans for life after F1Credit: Getty
He has opened up on his love of gravel racingCredit: INSTAGRAM @valtteribottas
It is a form of off-road cyclingCredit: INSTAGRAM @valtteribottas
And he has revealed on the Bobby and Jens podcast that he plans to take gravel cycling “seriously” when he retires.
Gravel cycling is a branch of cycling that sees competitors riding a drop-bar bike on unpaved roads and trails, fitting somewhere between road cycling and mountain biking.
He has already competed in two gravel racing events at the Belgian Waffle Race and SBT GRVL at Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
He finished on the podium for his age range both times, with both races considered world class events.
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Bottas has fallen so in love with the sport that he has created his own gravel racing event, which his team, Alfa Romeo, sponsored.
The event is held in his home region of Laht in Finland.
He has also revealed his plan to qualify for the 2024 UCI Gravel World Championships. 
He told the podcast: “Obviously, Formula One is the priority for me.
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He plans to compete in a gravel racing world championshipCredit: INSTAGRAM @valtteribottas
And has already finished on the podium in two eventsCredit: INSTAGRAM @valtteribottas
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“But a close second is cycling. Whenever I get the chance, I try to fit in some good [cycling] training blocks and I plan on racing some more gravel events this year – this time of year is for the bicycle.”
And while Bottas said he knew he wanted to be a racing driver from the age of six, “bikes were always around,” when he was growing up.
He continued: “Road, mountain and, now, gravel — I love to ride everything.”
Bottas’ girlfriend Tiffany Cromwell is an Australian Olympian and professional gravel racer and the two have encouraged eachother in their cycling.
Bottas will aim to qualify for the UCI Gravel World Championships in Belgium this year where there are several ways to qualify.
Bottas will likely try to leverage his age in a 36-39 men’s event where finishing in the top 25% of a race will secure him qualification.
The world championships will take place in September this year.
Bottas and Cromwell have a shared love of cyclingCredit: Getty More

SEBASTIAN Vettel has revealed his heartbreaking final conversation with his pal, F1 legend Michael Schumacher, before his horrific accident.Vettel said “I miss my friend” before he shared that the last time the pair spoke was when he broke the news he was to become a father.
Sebastian Vettel recently revealed his last conversation with his pal Michael SchumacherCredit: PA:Press Association
The pair were teammates and friends and won six Race of Champions Nations’ Cup crownsCredit: AFP – Getty
As of December 29, 2023 it has been 10 years since Schumacher suffered life-changing head injuries, hitting his head on a rock while skiing in the French Alps.
Updates on the seven-time World Champion have been few and far between and he has not been seen in public since, with his family keeping information on his health private.
Vettel discussed how his relationship with Schumacher grew “stronger and stronger” in the lead-up to his accident.
The pair shared the Formula 1 grid between 2010-12 and also formed the German line-up which won six consecutive Race of Champions Nations’ Cup crowns between 2007-2012.
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However, Vettel said the friendship between he and Schumacher grew so much that racing “was no longer the biggest thing (they) had in common.”
Not only were they team mates but Vettel described Schumacher as an “extremely important” figure for advice and “inspiration” that has been missing in his life.
“It’s still very, very difficult,” Vettel told RTL, “I don’t want to say to accept it, but to accept that he continues to fight.
“Yes, of course, I only wish him the best. But it’s still very often a topic I think about privately and I think about a lot and that is definitely a recurring theme.
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“Of course, the first thoughts immediately went to the last conversation we had together and that couldn’t be more positive. I told him that I was going to be a father and what was coming for us.
He added: “I think I really appreciated it towards the end in that sense, where our relationship became stronger and stronger before the accident.
“Because I think we both got to know each other more and more and racing was no longer the biggest thing we had in common, but life in general and life with and around racing.
He continued: “I believe in recent years he would have been extremely important.”
And explained how he has had “so many questions” recently and wishes he could have leaned on his pal for advice and support.
Vettel acknowledged that for Schumacher’s family it is “more difficult” to cope with the tragedy, especially for his son Mick who was very young at the time of the accident.
Vettel retired from Formula 1 after the 2022 season after achieving four World Championships with Red Bull between 2010-13.
Michael Schumacher’s ex-Formula One team Mercedes have urged him to “keep fighting” on the day of his 55th birthday.
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The birthday message from Mercedes provided some minor updates and suggests the 55-year-old is still battling back to full recovery.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the official Mercedes account wrote: “Happy Birthday, Michael. Today marks the @F1 legend’s 55th birthday. #KeepFightingMichael.”
Vettel said his relationship with Schumacher grew “stronger and stronger” in the lead-up to his accidentCredit: EPA
Vettel said their last conversation together was him telling Schumacher he was going to become a fatherCredit: EPA
Schumacher has not been seen since he had a serious skiing accident in the French AlpesCredit: Getty More