By Mark Gray
5:59am PST, Dec 18, 2023
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Michael Schumacher was an auto racing god before a tragic skiing accident altered the course of his life.
Back on Dec. 28, 2013, at 44, Michael suffered a near-fatal brain injury after crashing while skiing in the French Alps — he reportedly fell and hit his head on a rock. He then spent 250 days in a medically induced coma in the hospital.
Michael hasn't raced since that day and updates about his condition are rare.
With the 10th anniversary of the accident approaching, one of Michael's friends is giving some insight into what life is like now for the seven-time F1 champion.
Click through to read a friend's comments on a "different" Michael Schumacher.
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While speaking to L'Equipe in December 2023, former Ferrari and FIA chief Jean Todt said of his close friend Michael Schumacher, "Michael is here, so I don't miss him. [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."
Jean added, "Unfortunately, fate struck him 10 years ago. He is no longer the Michael we knew in Formula 1."
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Since the 2013 skiing accident, Michael Schumacher has essentially been contained to his home in Lake Geneva, Switzerland, where he is cared for by a medical staff and his wife, Corinna. His health is rarely spoken about in public. However, in the 2021 Netflix documentary "Schumacher," Corinna said her husband continued to undergo rehabilitation and said he's "different, but here."
"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. And no matter what, I will do everything I can. We all will," she said. "We're trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives. I have never blamed God for what happened. It was just really bad luck — all the bad luck anyone can have in life. It's always terrible when you say, 'Why is this happening to Michael or us?' But then why does it happen to other people?"
Michael's life will again be thrust into the spotlight on Dec. 28 when German broadcaster ARD airs a five-part documentary about the F1 king.
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Earlier in 2023, F1 journalist Roger Benoit, one of Michael Schumacher's close friends, painted a sad picture of the racer's health, calling it "a case without hope."
Prior to that, Michael's son, Mick, gave a rare interview about his father.
"I think Dad and me, we would understand each other in a different way now. We would have had much more to talk about, and that is where my head is most of the time, thinking that would be so cool. I would give up everything just for that," he said. "These moments that I believe many people have with their parents are no longer present, or to a lesser extent."
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Michael Schumacher was the face of F1 racing for two decades, having won world championships in 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004.
