'A case without hope.' Exactly what Michael Schumacher's life is like, 10 years after his accident.

Michael Schumacher was once riding the high of being the world's greatest Formula One driver. 

To this day his record seven wins are yet to be beaten (they've only been equalled by Lewis Hamilton in 2020). Statistically, he remains the best Formula One driver in history.

After such a consistent streak of success throughout his racing career, Schumacher officially retired in 2012 (he had previously retired in 2006 but returned to the track briefly in 2010). In 2013, he had a catastrophic skiing accident that would change his life forever.

10 years on, Formula One journalist and friend of Schumacher's, Roger Benoit, reportedly said this week that the racing car driver's condition is "a case without hope."

Watch: The official trailer for Netflix's Schumacher. Post continues after video.

On the 29th of December, 2013, Schumacher was skiing in the French Alps with his then 14-year-old son, Mick (now a Formula One driver himself). 

As Schumacher crossed an unsecured, off-piste area, he fell, hitting his head on a rock. Despite wearing a helmet Schumacher sustained a near-fatal brain injury that soon saw him airlifted to Grenoble Hospital. It was there he received two operations and was then placed in a medically induced coma which was set to last for 250 days.

In 2014, he showed positive signs of improvement. Doctors gradually withdrew him from his coma and after being relocated to Lausanne University Hospital, he was able to return to his family mansion in Switzerland to continue his slow recovery from the horrific accident.

In 2021, Netflix released the documentary Schumacher in which his family shared details about his condition. 

"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," his wife, a champion equestrian, Corinna said, indicating his battle to return to some kind of normalcy was still far from over.

The documentary was a rare foray into the state of Schumacher's health for many fans. Meanwhile, he has not been publicly seen since his accident. 

"It's very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible, Michael always protected us, now we are protecting Michael." Corinna also stated during the documentary.

Michael and Corinna Schumacher before the accident. Image: Getty.

In a 2019 episode of the podcast F1: Beyond the Grid, British Formula One, managing director, Ross Brawn, spoke of his enduring friendship with Schumacher, citing his loyal character and consistent nature, and how these qualities improved the team's performance overall. 

He also spoke of Schumacher's, "Good nice standards in regards to the way he lived his life" explaining that during the off-season he was more focused on enjoying time with his family than being in the public eye. He also stated that his friend and former colleague had, "always dealt with his issues behind closed doors."

In 2023, a German magazine published a 'first interview' with Schumacher which included quotes that had been invented by generative AI. Schumacher's family subsequently stated they would sue the magazine and the editor responsible was fired.

Despite the prognosis of Schumacher's health seemingly remaining dim, his family have continued his charitable work in his honour through their charity, Keep Fighting, whilst fans continue to use the #keepfightingmichael hashtag to honour his uphill recovery.

Before his 2013 accident, Schumacher was quoted as saying "I've always believed that you should never, ever give up and you should always keep fighting even when there's only the slightest chance."

Feature Image: Getty.

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