Michael Schumacher’s brother Ralf has revealed ‘modern medicine has made it possible to do some things’ to help the Formula One legend’s condition 10 years on from his skiing accident.
The seven-time F1 champion suffered massive head injuries following a crash while skiing in the French resort of Meribel on December 29, 2013.
Schumacher, whose helmet took the impact of the fierce blow with a rock, was placed into an artificial coma and underwent a number of operations.
His family have closely guarded details of his condition in the 10 years since and Michael hasn’t been seen in public since the accident.
Michael’s younger brother Ralf, 48, who was also an F1 driver, told German newspaper Bild this week that ‘nothing is like before.’
Ralf Schumacher (right) has said that his brother Michael (left) has been helped by modern medicine after his tragic skiing accident 10 years ago to the day
Schumacher’s wife Corinna has made enormous efforts to keep his life as private as possible
The now-54-year-old was a proficient skier before the accident (pictured in Italy in 2005)
He added: ‘I miss my Michael from back then. Life is sometimes unfair. Michael had been lucky many times in his life, but then the tragic accident happened.
‘Fortunately, modern medicine has made it possible to do some things.’
Ralf, who won six F1 Grands Prix, emphasised that Michael, 54, had been more than just his older brother.
He told Bild: ‘Michael wasn’t only my brother. When we were kids, he was also my coach and mentor. He taught me literally everything about kart racing.
‘There may be an age gap of seven years, but he was always by my side. We raced together, we practised overtaking manoeuvres and everything that matters in motorsports.’
The former Jordan and Williams driver underlined: ‘He passed on all the different things he had already internalised. I had the honour to learn from the best.’
Reflecting on how the Schumachers have dealt with Michael’s devastating skiing crash, Ralf said: ‘It has been a significant experience for me but, of course, even more so for his children.’
Ralf concluded: ‘Life is unfair at times. That day held a lot of bad luck. This fate has changed our family.’
During his decorated tenure as a driver for Benetton, Mercedes, and Ferrari, Schumacher won seven world championships
Michael Schumacher’s old rival Damon Hill (right) has described the star’s plight as a ‘tragedy’
Meanwhile, Schumacher’s one-time F1 rival Damon Hill has described the German’s plight as a ‘terrible tragedy’ and a reminder to ‘treasure every day’ on the 10th anniversary.
Reflecting on Schumacher’s condition, Hill, 63, said: ‘It is a terrible tragedy. This is not how you want anyone to end up.
‘It makes you treasure every day and be thankful for your good fortune. I think about his family. It is so hard for them.’
His wife Corinna, offered a rare insight on her husband’s state in a Netflix documentary in 2021.
‘I miss Michael every day,’ said Corinna, who has enforced a wall of secrecy to protect one of the biggest names in modern sporting times.
‘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. 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.
Ralf (left) and Michael (right) share the podium after the French Grand Prix back in 2003
‘”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.’
Schumacher added to the two titles he won at Benetton with five championship triumphs for Ferrari at the turn of the century, posting a series of records many viewed as untouchable.
Lewis Hamilton has since matched Schumacher’s collection of titles and surpassed his 91 wins. Hamilton, 38, who is contracted to drive for Mercedes until the end of 2025, has 103 victories.
Schumacher’s son, Mick, is currently a reserve driver for Hamilton’s Mercedes team having spent two seasons with Haas before he was dropped at the end of last year.