Michael Schumacher’s brother Ralf reveals heartbreaking family update on F1 legend
MICHAEL Schumacher’s brother has provided insight into the Formula One legend’s condition – a rarity since the tragic accident in 2013.The racing champion sustained a blow to the head whilst skiing which left him in a medically induced coma for 250 days.
Michael Schumacher (right) having a laugh with Ralf (left) at the Canadian Grand Prix in 2003Credit: Reuters
Ralf has revealed that he has not been allowed much contact with his brother’s family after the accidentCredit: Getty
Michael’s immediate family have been protecting information about the champion’s healthCredit: Netflix
Other than the fact Schumacher underwent two operations to remove blood clots, very little has been said about his condition.
In the 10 years since the fall in Meribel, France,the star has remained out of the public eye.
Schumacher’s wife, Corinna, has protected the privacy of her husband to such an extent that only their immediate family, and closest of friends know any details.
Although, apparently Michael’s brother Ralf has not been afforded this privilege.
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In an interview with German magazine Bunte, Ralf revealed that he has not been allowed much contact with his brother’s immediate family.
He maintained that he still loved them, and would always be there for them should they ever need him.
Ralf said: “When I see his children Gina-Maria and Mick, my heart smiles.
“If someone in the family is looking for my advice, I’m there. They go their own way.”
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When asked about his brother, Ralf said: “Unfortunately, sometimes life isn’t fair.
“We have to accept it.”
Ralf’s revelation that he is hardly in contact with his brother’s family comes just days after the Schumacher family lawyer revealed why the racing legend never released a report on his health post accident.
Speaking to the German news outlet LTO, their lawyer explained that an official report was never released to the public to protect private matters.
He said: “Of course, we discussed a lot about how this is possible. So we also considered whether a final report about Michael’s health could be the right way to do this.
“But that wouldn’t have been the end of it and there would have had to be constantly updated ‘water level reports’. Because as those affected, it is not up to you to put an end to the media.
“They could pick up on such a report again and again and ask, ‘And what does it look like now?’ one, two, three months or years after the message.
“And if we then wanted to take action against this reporting, we would have to deal with the argument of voluntary self-disclosure.”
Their family lawyer maintains that his approach to the situation has strengthened the privacy protection of the Formula One legend and his family.
He stated that he understands many Schumacher fans want to know how the star is doing, but he believes that they should be able to respect the family’s privacy.
Before Ralf’s recent interview, the last piece of information to come from the Schumacher camp was after Formula One journalist, Roger Benoit, told Swiss newspaper Blick that Schumacher was “a case without hope.”
Formula One legend and friend of Schumacher, Johnny Herbert, called the comment “horrible”, but did reveal that Schumacher was “not close” to his former self following his ski crash.
Herbert continued by saying Schumacher’s closest friends receive very little information about the star’s health.
The ex-Sky Sports pundit said: “There’s never any news. What we do know is we never hear any positive news.
“That’s the horrible thought that he is still not able to be close to the Michael that we all remember. And that is very sad.”
He also reflected on how the star’s crash had affected Ralf.
“Ralf has had to do a lot of things for and with the family given what happened to Michael.
“He has matured. He is very different now to the person he was as a driver.
“He is a good human being now. He has changed a lot having had to cope with the ongoing situation with his brother.”
While Corinna used the Netflix documentary Schumacher to comment: “I mean, everybody misses Michael, but Michael is here.”
“Different, but he’s here and that gives us strength, I find.
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“We try to carry on a family as Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives.
“‘Private is private’, as he always said. It is very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible.” More
