The mystery of Michael Schumacher’s health remains unsolved ten years after the terrible skiing accident in which the former great Formula 1 driver was injured.

A Swiss neurosurgeon believes that Michael Schumacher is most likely in a vegetative state after a skiing accident in 2013.

On December 29, 2013, barely leaving the Grand Circus, the German pilot fell violently on his head while skiing in Méribel, where he was spending the winter holidays with his family.

He was with his then 14-year-old son Mick at the time of the accident.

A victim of traumatic brain injury, he remained in a coma in a hospital in Grenoble for several months until June 2014, when he was flown to Switzerland.

Since then, there has been a lot of speculation surrounding the doctors’ diagnosis and his health in general.

In the absence of any official information released by his family, who have decided to keep any news about him completely secret to protect themselves, information about the state of health of “Shumi” is laconic.

The seven-time Formula 1 world champion, who turns 55 on January 3, is likely to be in a vegetative state after emerging from a coma in 2014, according to several leading neurologists.

In 2020, Swiss neurosurgeon Erich Riederer spoke about a possible diagnosis in a documentary broadcast on TMC.

“He’s breathing, his heart is beating, maybe he can get up and take small steps with help, but nothing more,” said the doctor, stressing that the pilot’s chances of recovering his abilities are almost non-existent.

In 2021, eight years after the tragedy, Corinna Schumacher, the pilot’s wife, who carefully maintains a secret with his agent Sabine Cam, broke her silence in a documentary that aired on Netflix.

“Michael is here. It’s different, but it’s here. And this, I think, gives us strength. We are together, we live together at home. He is under treatment. We are doing everything to improve his condition, to make him feel comfortable and to make him feel part of our family, our connection,” she admitted then, without giving details about the champion’s possible defects.

“We still get along, but in a different way,” said his son Mick Schumacher, who was driving for Haas in F1 at the time.

Recently, Jean Todt, president of the FIA, provided information about the situation with the German champion.

“Michael (not Schumacher) is there, so I don’t miss him,” said Jean Todt, who was the German’s boss at Ferrari for a decade (1996-2006) before becoming a friend.

“He is no longer the former Michael. He is a different person, and he is wonderfully cared for by his protective wife and children.

His life is different and I am honored to share moments with him. That’s all I have to say. Unfortunately, fate struck him ten years ago and he is no longer the Michael I knew in F1.”

A decade after the tragedy in the Alps, the German TV channel ARD will show a documentary that will analyze the circumstances of the accident.

It is said that two mistakes were made that day, which contributed to the deterioration of Shumi’s condition and health.

Jens Gideon, who made the documentary, interviewed the instructor who was there at the time. He claims that there was not enough snow for skiing at this off-piste location.

“You don’t go there on a day like this. It was clear that there was not enough snow,” the witness explained, confirming the presence of visible rocks on the ground that hit Schumacher’s camera-equipped helmet.

The slope from which Michael Schumacher drove down had “markings that corresponded to the current regulations,” the prosecutor said at the time. And the rock that damaged his helmet is eight meters from the marking.

The instructor also said that the pilot with 91 victories in Formula 1 was conscious after the fall, which gave first responders the impression that his health was not that serious.

However, while being airlifted to Moutiers, his condition seriously deteriorated. According to the non-medical instructor, three minutes would be wasted. This precious time could be fatal for the German.

An hour after he was taken to Moutiers, Michael Schumacher was transferred to the University Hospital of Grenoble, a larger and better equipped unit.

In Isera, the race against time has just begun. The pilot underwent two surgeries to remove blood clots from his brain before finally emerging from his coma on June 16, 2014.

Michael Schumacher – seven world championship titles

Michael Schumacher was born on January 3, 1969 in the town of Hurt, located in the west of Germany, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. He made his F1 debut at the age of 22 driving a Jordan single-seater in the August 1991 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps and took his first victory a year later at the same circuit.

Schumacher has seven world championship titles to his credit: 1994, 1995 (both with Beneton), 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 (all five with Ferrari).

He first retired from Formula 1 at the end of 2006, then returned to the Grand Circus in 2010. But for three seasons spent at Mercedes, the German did not show the form that proved him. In this second phase of his career, Michael Schumacher managed only one third place in Valencia in 2012 and four fourth places.

As a pilot, Schumacher had only one serious accident. On July 11, 1999, the German champion suffered a double fracture of the tibia and fibula of his right leg after the single-seater Ferrari he was driving left the track and crashed into a tire barrier. He was then absent from Formula One for 98 days, six races, returning for the final two Grands Prix of the season.

Michael has been married to Corinna since 1995 and they have two children: Gina Maria (24 years old) and Mick (22 years old). The Schumacher family settled in 2007 in Gland, Switzerland, a resort on the shores of Lake Leman, near Geneva. In 2010, Schumacher’s fortune was estimated at more than 600 million euros, according to News.ro.