Michael Schumacher's close friend shares heartbreaking update on F1 legend's condition
Flavio Briatore, who brought Michael Schumacher to Benetton and helped him win two Formula 1 world titles, is among the few who have been allowed to visit the German
Michael Schumacher's former boss and close ally, Flavio Briatore, has offered a poignant reflection on the condition of the Formula 1 icon. Suffering from a traumatic brain injury after a skiing mishap in December 2013, Schumacher's health updates have been scarce, thanks to his wife Corinna's wish for privacy.
A chosen few, including Briatore who played a pivotal role in Schumacher’s career at Benetton, have been by his side post-accident. Speaking to Italian publication Corriere della Sera, Briatore conveyed, "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."
Having spent nearly nine months in a coma, Schumacher was ultimately relocated to his home for continued care – now over a decade since the accident. Updates have been extremely rare, with his family choosing to keep his condition private.
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Schumacher's family had to deal with a blackmailing scandal, too, with former bodyguards threatening to release sensitive photos displaying the F1 icon. Three men were found guilty of blackmail after trying to extort money from the family.
In a rare disclosure featured in the 2021 Netflix documentary 'Schumacher,' his wife Corinna expressed her longing: "I miss Michael every day," she conveyed.
"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.
"'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 clinched five consecutive world titles, has also visited the F1 icon since his accident. "Michael is here, so I don't miss him," Todt shared with L'Equipe in 2023.
DON'T MISS:
"[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."
