Once the most popular athlete across global motorsports, Michael Schumacher has been out of public life for 12 years now. It was this day, December 29, in 2013, that his tragic skiing accident in the French Alps would put him through life-threatening injuries. Although he survived, the seven-time F1 champion’s health condition has remained a secret within the Schumacher family.

The accident happened on the 29th December, 2013, over a year after he retired from the sport, having dedicated the last three years to Mercedes. He was vacationing with his family, skiing down the Alps. Although he had mastered it, a patch of bad snow saw him flip and hit head-first on a rock, causing severe brain injury. A lot followed this, and fans have asked for an answer for years, but the family only hints at his condition.

What happened to Michael Schumacher?

He was soon taken to the hospital. The impact was so severe that even his helmet was split in two. Battling for his life, Schumacher had to be put in a medically induced coma for months to recover.

He was awakened from the coma in the middle of 2014 and taken back to his home for private treatment, and the family has kept it that way. His wife, Corinna, and kids, Mick and Gina, have never revealed a clear update on Michael Schumacher’s health.

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However, it is speculated that he isn’t the pace-loving, active athlete he once was. In the 2021 Netflix documentary Schumacher, Corinna shared a subtle update, stating: “I miss Michael every day. But it’s not just me who misses him. It’s the children, the family, his father, everyone around him. Everybody misses Michael, but Michael is here – different, but here. He still shows me how strong he is every day.”

In the documentary, his son, Mick Schumacher, also shared a similar statement, claiming to understand his father through the love of racing they share.

“We would understand each other in a different way now because we speak a similar language,” he said. “The language of motorsport.”

Rumors and speculation regarding his health conditions have been circulated throughout the years. Some claimed that he is permanently in a wheelchair, while others also mention that he has faced memory loss owing to the nature of his injuries. However, his fans have always asked for more clarity.

Fans still miss their F1 hero

“12 years of suffering. Man, that’s a lot as a family to take,” a fan wrote, remembering Schumacher, reflecting on what his family must be going through for the past decade. It has understandably been quite a challenge for them, and on top of that, ensuring that the medical condition remains private is not an easy task.

For many, Michael Schumacher was more than just a driver. He was a champion; he made fans believe, and they continue to pray for him during his recovery.

“Legend. Fighter. Forever Ferrari.”

Schumacher didn’t just change teams; he introduced new racing techniques, helped teams develop and deliver peak performance.

A look back at Schumacher’s F1 journey

Michael Schumacher made his F1 debut with Jordan in 1991, replacing Bertrand Gachot as the driver for the Belgian Grand Prix. After an iconic show of competitiveness, he was signed for the season’s remaining races; however, he moved to Benetton right after the Belgian GP. He won two consecutive World Championships with the team in 1994 and 1995, before Ferrari signed him.

However, his debut with the Italian outfit was difficult. He found the car to be extremely hard to drive, given the state of performance Ferrari had at the time. But this was what made Schumacher legendary.

In the coming years, he assisted the team in developing enough and absolutely dominating the grid between 2000 and 2004. He won five consecutive championships, setting a record that hasn’t been broken yet.

He retired at the end of the 2006 F1 season, but returned with Mercedes in 2010, driving for another three seasons. These were the German brand’s initial years in the sport, and through the input that he gave the team, Mercedes became the dominant force throughout the turbo-hybrid era.

Schumacher remains one of the most successful drivers in the sport and is still the driver with the most championships won. Lewis Hamilton tied him in 2020, but failed to break his record. However, 12 years after absolutely no updates on his health, fans feel distant.