Michael Schumacher made a rare public appearance as he attended his daughter Gina’s wedding, giving his millions of fans a rare hope about the F1 icon’s condition

The condition of F1 legend Michael Schumacher has been kept under wraps since his life-altering skiing accident over a decade ago.

The seven-time world champion sustained devastating head injuries after colliding with a rock during a family holiday in France. True to his mantra throughout his racing career, Schumacher’s privacy has been staunchly defended by his wife Corinna and their close-knit circle.

Only a handful of details about his state have been shared with the public before this week’s revelation that Schumacher was present at his daughter Gina’s wedding in Majorca. No photos of Schumacher from the event have been made public, with guests reportedly asked to leave their mobiles at the entrance.

Another Schumacher wedding could be on the horizon as Michael’s son Mick appears to have proposed to his long-term girlfriend Laila Hasanovic. She shared a photo of what seems to be a diamond ring on her engagement finger on social media.

This suggests that Michael could be set for another public appearance. In light of this week’s news, here’s a summary of what we know about Schumacher’s condition…

Schumacher may have been ‘conscious and talking’
Despite the consequences of his skiing accident, Schumacher might have been conscious and speaking right after it, according to former F1 trackside doctor Gary Hartstein.

He told Sky News at the time: “It’s quite well known that extradural haematomas, a kind of cerebral haemorrhage, can leave a lucid interval after injury. Then as the haematoma forms, the increase in pressure causes sudden and dramatic symptoms. Pressure must be relieved rapidly.”

Wheelchair claim
Nearly a year on from the grievous accident, ex-racer Philippe Streiff claimed Schumacher was paralysed and confined to a wheelchair, though this remained unverified.

But a few years later, French outlet Paris Match published an interview with an unnamed family member, who said: “When you put him in his wheelchair facing the beautiful panorama of the mountains overlooking the lake [Lake Geneva, near the family home], Michael sometimes cries.”

Regular visitor and ‘watching F1’
One of the closest confidants outside the family is ex-Ferrari team boss Jean Todt, who regularly visits Schumacher and has even claimed to have watched F1 races on TV with him.

Speaking to German broadcaster NTV in 2022, Todt revealed: “I don’t miss Michael. I can see him. But of course, what I miss is what we used to do together.” He added: “Yes it’s ‘true’ I watch the races with Michael.”

Todt later said to L’Equipe that Schumacher is “simply not the Michael he used to be”. He explained: “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.”

‘Hope gone’
Another member of the trusted inner circle, journalist Roger Benoit, told Blick there was little hope of a full recovery. The family friend admitted: “No [there is no hope].”

He reiterated a sombre quote from Schumacher’s son, Mick, drawn from one of his few interviews: “There is only one answer to this question and that is what his son Mick gave in one of his rare interviews in 2022: ‘I would give anything to talk to dad’. This sentence says everything about how his father has been doing for over 3,500 days. A case without hope.”

Benoit was echoing Mick’s poignant words from the hit Netflix series Drive to Survive, where he said: “I think dad and me, we would understand each other in a different way. Simply because we speak a similar language the language of motorsport.”

Brother’s insight
Ralf Schumacher has occasionally given an insight into his brother Michael’s health, providing a sobering mix of hope and reality in an interview with Bild, saying: “Fortunately, advanced medical science provides many opportunities. However, nothing is like it used to be.”

Dinner with family
Johnny Herbert, a former team-mate of the German great, revealed he had heard rumours that Schumacher sits at the table with his family at meal times. He told BettingSites.co.uk: “I hear, from those within F1, he does sit at the table for dinner but I don’t know if that is true.

“We haven’t heard much from the family and understandably so. That has always been very much a part of Michael and the family’s way to keep everything very private, very secretive.

“In my opinion, and I must stress this, because we haven’t heard anything from the family, it shows that unfortunately he is probably in the similar situation as he was straight after the accident.”