Michael Schumacher’s former boss and close friend Flavio Briatore has given a rare update on the F1 legend’s health, more than 11 years after he suffered a severe brain injury
Flavio Briatore has provided an emotional update on Michael Schumacher. The Formula 1 legend suffered a serious brain injury from a skiing accident in December 2013 and, since then, his wife, Corinna, has maintained a tight lid on the specifics of his ongoing care.
The number of visitors Schumacher has received is limited, yet it’s known that he still requires round-the-clock care 11 years on from the accident. Briatore, who was instrumental in Schumacher’s move to Benetton, where he clinched two world championships, is one of the rare few who have seen the German since the tragic event.
Speaking to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Serra about the F1 legend’s condition, his close friend and former boss said: “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.”
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Following the accident, Schumacher was placed in a medically induced coma for 250 days before being permitted to return home for further treatment. Updates are scarce, but Corinna provided an update in the 2021 Netflix documentary, ‘Schumacher’.
In the programme, as quoted by the Mirror, she said: “I miss Michael every day. 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 helped Schumacher win five back-to-back championships, has been by the F1 icon’s side post-accident. The former Ferrari team principal told French newspaper L’Equipe in 2023: “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. Unfortunately, fate struck him 10 years ago. He is no longer the Michael we knew in Formula 1.”