Michael Schumacher's close friend offers heartbreaking update on F1 legend

Michael Schumacher's close friend and former boss Flavio Briatore has shared an emotional update on the Formula 1 legend's condition. Schumacher suffered a severe brain injury after a skiing accident in December 2013 and his wife, Corrina, has kept details of his treatment incredibly private.

Very few people have been allowed to visit Schumacher, but it is known that he continues to require full-time care more than 11 years after the incident. Briatore, who brought Schumacher to Benetton and helped him win two world titles, is among the few that have visited the German since his accident.

And when asked about Schumacher's current condition, he told Italian newspaper Corriere della Serra : "If I close my eyes, I see him smiling after a victory. I prefer to remember him like that rather than him just lying on a bed. Corinna and I talk often, though."

After the accident, Schumacher spent 250 days in a medically induced coma before he was allowed to return home and continue receiving treatment. Although updates have been few and far between, Corinna did share some details in the 2021 Netflix documentary 'Schumacher'.

"I miss Michael every day," she said. "But it is not just me who misses him. It's the children, the family, his father, everyone around him. I mean, everybody misses Michael, but Michael is here. Different, but he's here, and that gives us strength.

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"We're together. We live together at home. We do therapy. We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he's comfortable. And to simply make him feel our family, our bond.

"'Private is private', as he always said. It's very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible. Michael always protected us and now we are protecting Michael."

Jean Todt, who was Ferrari's team principal when Schumacher won five consecutive world titles, has also visited the F1 legend since the accident. "Michael is here, so I don't miss him," Todt told L'Equipe in 2023.

"[But he] is simply not the Michael he used to be. He is different and is wonderfully guided by his wife and children who protect him. His life is different now and I have the privilege of sharing moments with him.

"That's all there is to say. Unfortunately, fate struck him 10 years ago. He is no longer the Michael we knew in Formula 1."

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