The new Mercedes team was their first majority involvement in an F1 team since 1955.
Michael Schumacher (; ; born 3 January 1969) is a retired German racing driver who competed in Formula One for Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari and Mercedes.
He left hospital in Grenoble for further rehabilitation at the University Hospital of Lausanne, before being relocated to his home to receive medical treatment and rehabilitation privately in September 2014. ==Early years== Schumacher was born in Hürth, North Rhine-Westphalia, on 3 January 1969, to Rolf Schumacher, a bricklayer, and his wife Elisabeth.
At the age of 43 years and 173 days, he became the oldest driver to achieve a podium since Jack Brabham's second-place finish at the 1970 British Grand Prix.
A year later Benetton employees Rory Byrne (designer) and Ross Brawn (Technical Director) joined Ferrari. Ferrari had previously come close to the championship in 1982 and 1990.
Schumacher signed a three-year contract, reportedly worth £20 million. Schumacher's surprise return to F1 was compared to Niki Lauda's in 1982 at age 33 and Nigel Mansell's return in 1994 at age 41.
To get around this, Schumacher obtained a license in Luxembourg at the age of 12. In 1983, he obtained his German license, a year after he won the German Junior Kart Championship.
From 1984 on, Schumacher won many German and European kart championships.
He joined Eurokart dealer Adolf Neubert in 1985 and by 1987 he was the German and European kart champion, then he quit school and began working as a mechanic.
He joined Eurokart dealer Adolf Neubert in 1985 and by 1987 he was the German and European kart champion, then he quit school and began working as a mechanic.
In 1988 he made his first step into single-seat car racing by participating in the German Formula Ford and Formula König series, winning the latter. In 1989, Schumacher signed with Willi Weber's WTS Formula Three team.
In 1988 he made his first step into single-seat car racing by participating in the German Formula Ford and Formula König series, winning the latter. In 1989, Schumacher signed with Willi Weber's WTS Formula Three team.
Funded by Weber, he competed in the German Formula 3 series, winning the title in 1990.
He also won the Macau Grand Prix in 1990 under controversial circumstances.
While Häkkinen's race was ended, Schumacher cruised to victory without a rear wing. At the end of 1990, along with his Formula 3 rivals Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Karl Wendlinger, he joined the Mercedes junior racing programme in the World Sports-Prototype Championship.
In the 1990 World Sportscar Championship season, Schumacher won the season finale at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in a Sauber–Mercedes C11, and finished fifth in the drivers' championship despite only driving in three of the nine races.
A year later Benetton employees Rory Byrne (designer) and Ross Brawn (Technical Director) joined Ferrari. Ferrari had previously come close to the championship in 1982 and 1990.
The team had suffered a disastrous downturn in the early 1990s, partially as its famous V12 engine was no longer competitive against the smaller, lighter and more fuel-efficient V10s of its competitors.
Ferrari took a 1–2 finish at the , the first Ferrari 1–2 finish since 1990, and the , which tied Schumacher with Häkkinen for the lead of the Drivers' Championship with 80 points, but Häkkinen won the Championship by winning the final two races.
After a one-off Formula One appearance with Jordan at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, Schumacher was signed by Benetton for the rest of the season.
He continued with the team in the 1991 World Sportscar Championship season, winning again at the final race of the season at Autopolis in Japan with a Sauber–Mercedes-Benz C291, leading to a ninth-place finish in the drivers' championship.
In 1991, he competed in one race in the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship, finishing second. ==Formula One career== Schumacher was noted throughout his career for his ability to produce fast laps at crucial moments in a race and to push his car to the very limit for sustained periods.
In 2020, Schumacher was voted the most influential person in F1 history. ===Jordan (1991)=== Schumacher made his Formula One debut with the Jordan-Ford team at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, driving car number 32 as a replacement for the imprisoned Bertrand Gachot.
He won three races, more than the team's total tally for the period from 1991 to 1995.
Before, it had happened only in his début in 1991 that he finished without a win, pole position, podium or fastest lap. ====2011==== Schumacher's first points of 2011 were scored in Malaysia; he later came sixth in Spain and had a strong race at the finishing fourth, after running as high as second in a wet race.
The FIA subsequently banned "team orders which interfere with the race result", but the ban was lifted for the 2011 season because the ruling was difficult to enforce. ===Dangerous driving=== ====1991 430 km of Nürburgring==== During his spell in Sauber, in the 1991 Sportscar World Championship, Schumacher was involved in a serious incident with Derek Warwick in that year's 430 km of Nürburgring.
Although there was no accident, the race steward, the same Derek Warwick of the 1991 Nürburgring incident, wanted to black flag Schumacher since that "would have shown a better example to our young drivers".
He finished third in the Drivers' Championship in 1992 with 53 points, three points behind runner-up Patrese. The Williams of Damon Hill and Alain Prost also dominated the season.
In 1992, the German Motor Sport Federation awarded him the ONS Cup, the highest accolade in German motorsport.
Schumacher declared the Ferrari 412T good enough to win the Championship. Schumacher, Ross Brawn, Rory Byrne, and Jean Todt (hired in 1993), have been credited as turning this once struggling team into the most successful team in Formula One history.
In 1993, he won a Bambi Sports Award and was the first racing driver to receive the Golden Steering Wheel.
Twice, he was involved in collisions in the final race of a season that decided the title, first with Hill at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix and later with Jacques Villeneuve at the 1997 European Grand Prix.
He left Benetton a year before his contract with them expired; he later cited the team's damaging actions in 1994 as his reason for opting out of his deal.
Schumacher signed a three-year contract, reportedly worth £20 million. Schumacher's surprise return to F1 was compared to Niki Lauda's in 1982 at age 33 and Nigel Mansell's return in 1994 at age 41.
In 1994, Schumacher gained his second ONS Cup and was voted European Sportsperson of the Year, by the International Sports Press Association.
According to this ranking, Schumacher was the fifth best driver of all time, considering the relative statistical significance of Ferrari's contributions. Schumacher is considered by some to be the greatest Formula One driver of all time. ==Racing controversies== ===Championship-deciding collisions=== ====1994 Australian Grand Prix==== Going into the 1994 Australian Grand Prix, the final race of the 1994 season, Schumacher led Damon Hill by a single point in the Drivers' Championship.
Schumacher accepted the decision, and apologised. ===Other incidents=== ====1994 cheating scandal==== In 1994, suspicion of foul play by the Benetton team (who were eventually found to have been responsible for some technical violations over the course of the season) was said to have troubled Ayrton Senna that season.
At the end of 1995, though the team had improved into a solid competitor, it was still considered inferior to front-running teams such as Benetton and Williams.
During winter testing, Schumacher first drove a Ferrari, their 1995 Ferrari 412 T2, and was two seconds faster than former regulars Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger had been. ====1996–1999==== Schumacher finished third in the Drivers' Championship in 1996 and helped Ferrari to second place in the Constructors' Championship ahead of his old team Benetton.
He won three races, more than the team's total tally for the period from 1991 to 1995.
In 1995, he was named Autosport International Racing Driver of the Year, voted German Sportspersonality of the Year and honoured with a third ONS Cup.
The FIA subsequently issued a press release setting out action that it required teams to take before the German Grand Prix, given that various cars were found to have advanced engine management systems emulating launch and traction control. ====1995 Brazilian Grand Prix==== In 1995, Schumacher and Williams driver David Coulthard were disqualified for fuel irregularities, after a switch to Renault engines and Elf oils.
Mick became the third Schumacher to race in Formula One, having made his debut with Haas F1 Team in the 2021 season, nine years after his father retired from Formula One. In August 1995, Michael married Corinna Betsch.
Schumacher moved to Ferrari in 1996, with whom he won five consecutive titles from 2000 to 2004, including unprecedented sixth and seventh titles, breaking several records.
During winter testing, Schumacher first drove a Ferrari, their 1995 Ferrari 412 T2, and was two seconds faster than former regulars Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger had been. ====1996–1999==== Schumacher finished third in the Drivers' Championship in 1996 and helped Ferrari to second place in the Constructors' Championship ahead of his old team Benetton.
Early in the 1996 season the car had reliability trouble and Schumacher did not finish six of the 16 races.
Twice, he was involved in collisions in the final race of a season that decided the title, first with Hill at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix and later with Jacques Villeneuve at the 1997 European Grand Prix.
For his sports achievements and his commitment to road safety, Schumacher was awarded Germany's highest sporting accolade, the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt in 1997. In 2000, Schumacher was named ADAC Motor Sportsman of the Year and won the Autosport International Racing Driver Award. In 2001, Schumacher was granted [citizenship] of Modena, for his sporting prowess and for helping to promote Modena.
The race stewards judged it a racing accident and took no action against either driver, but public opinion is divided over the incident, and Schumacher was vilified in the British media. ====1997 European Grand Prix==== At the 1997 European Grand Prix at Jerez, the last race of the season, Schumacher led Williams's Jacques Villeneuve by one point in the Drivers' Championship.
The race stewards did not initially award any penalty, but two weeks after the race Schumacher was disqualified from the entire 1997 Drivers' Championship after an FIA disciplinary hearing found that his "manoeuvre was an instinctive reaction and although deliberate not made with malice or premeditation.
Ralf Schumacher competed in Formula One for ten years, starting from 1997 until the end of 2007.
They have two children, a daughter Gina-Marie, born 20 February 1997 and a son, Mick, born 22 March 1999.
In 2008, it was revealed that he had donated between $5M and $10M to the Clinton Foundation. Since his participation in an FIA European road safety campaign, as part of his punishment after the collision at the 1997 European Grand Prix, Schumacher continued to support other campaigns, such as Make Roads Safe, which is led by the FIA Foundation and calls on G8 countries and the UN to recognise global road deaths as a major global health issue.
He eventually caught up with Schumacher, and it took intervention from several mechanics and Schumacher's teammate Jochen Mass to prevent Warwick physically assaulting Schumacher. ====1998 Canadian Grand Prix==== The 1998 Canadian Grand Prix saw Schumacher accused of dangerous driving when his exit from the pit-lane forced Heinz-Harald Frentzen off the track and into retirement.
On appeal, both drivers had their results and points reinstated, but both teams lost the points the results would normally have earned in the Constructors' Championship. ====1998 British Grand Prix==== Two laps from the finish of the 1998 British Grand Prix, Schumacher was leading the race when he was issued a stop-and-go penalty for overtaking a lapped car (Alexander Wurz) during the early moments of a Safety Car period.
They have two children, a daughter Gina-Marie, born 20 February 1997 and a son, Mick, born 22 March 1999.
For example, Deutsche Vermögensberatung paid him $8 million over three years from 1999 for wearing a 10 by 8 centimetre advertisement on his post-race cap.
Schumacher moved to Ferrari in 1996, with whom he won five consecutive titles from 2000 to 2004, including unprecedented sixth and seventh titles, breaking several records.
Although he and Alonso had the same point total, Schumacher was in front because he had won more races. The Japanese Grand Prix was led by Schumacher with only 16 laps to go, when, for the first time since the 2000 French Grand Prix, Schumacher's car suffered an engine failure.
From the 2000 Monaco Grand Prix, in order to differentiate his colours from his new teammate Rubens Barrichello (whose helmet was predominantly white with a blue circle on top and a red ellipsis surrounding the visor), Schumacher changed the upper blue colour and some of the white areas to red.
For his sports achievements and his commitment to road safety, Schumacher was awarded Germany's highest sporting accolade, the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt in 1997. In 2000, Schumacher was named ADAC Motor Sportsman of the Year and won the Autosport International Racing Driver Award. In 2001, Schumacher was granted [citizenship] of Modena, for his sporting prowess and for helping to promote Modena.
For his sports achievements and his commitment to road safety, Schumacher was awarded Germany's highest sporting accolade, the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt in 1997. In 2000, Schumacher was named ADAC Motor Sportsman of the Year and won the Autosport International Racing Driver Award. In 2001, Schumacher was granted [citizenship] of Modena, for his sporting prowess and for helping to promote Modena.
He also received nominations for the 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007 awards.
He was elected European Sportsperson of the Year, by the International Sports Press Association and received the Marca Leylenda Award. In April 2002, for his contributions to sport and his contributions in raising awareness of child education, Schumacher was named as one of the UNESCO Champions for sport, joining the other eight, which include Pelé, Sergey Bubka and Justine Henin.
On 22 October 2002, Schumacher was honoured with the Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. In 2003, Schumacher won the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy and was voted PAP European Sportsperson of the Year.
However, in the final metres of the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix, Schumacher's teammate, Rubens Barrichello, slowed his car under orders from Ferrari to allow Schumacher to pass and win the race.
Later in the season at the end of the 2002 United States Grand Prix, Schumacher slowed down within sight of the finishing line, allowing Barrichello to win by 0.011 seconds, the second-closest margin in F1 history.
For the 2002 and 2013 European flood disasters, Schumacher donated 1 million and 500,000 euros, respectively.
Motorsport author Christopher Hilton observed in 2003 that a "measure of a driver's capabilities is his performance in wet races, because the most delicate car control and sensitivity are needed", and noted that like other great drivers, Schumacher's record in wet conditions shows very few mistakes: up to the end of the 2003 season, Schumacher won 17 of the 30 races in wet conditions he contested.
He went on to take his first victory at the , in a wet race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, which by 2003 he would call "far and away my favourite track".
He also received nominations for the 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007 awards.
On 22 October 2002, Schumacher was honoured with the Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. In 2003, Schumacher won the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy and was voted PAP European Sportsperson of the Year.
FC Köln, his local football club where he grew up, citing Pierre Littbarski and Harald Schumacher as his idols. On 23 June 2003, Schumacher was appointed as an Ambassador-at-Large for the Most Serene Republic of San Marino. Schumacher is a special ambassador to UNESCO and has donated 1.5 million euros to the organisation.
Schumacher moved to Ferrari in 1996, with whom he won five consecutive titles from 2000 to 2004, including unprecedented sixth and seventh titles, breaking several records.
In 2004, a prototype was publicly tested by being driven over by a tank; it survived intact.
He was selected European Sportsperson of the Year, by the International Sports Press Association. In 2004, Schumacher was voted German Sportspersonality of the Year and named Germany's greatest sportsperson of the century, beating Birgit Fischer and Steffi Graf to the accolade.
Schumacher was there on that occasion because Ferrari would not allow anyone else to drive the unique black Ferrari FXX that was featured in the show. ===Finance and sponsorship=== In 2004 Forbes magazine listed him as the second highest paid athlete in the world.
His 2004 salary was reported to be around US$80 million.
He donated $10 million for aid after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.
He finished that season with a record 148 points, 34 points ahead of the runner-up, teammate Rubens Barrichello, and set a new record of 13 race wins out of a possible 18, surpassing his previous best of 11 wins from the season. ====2005–2006: decline, resurgence and retirement==== Rule changes for the 2005 season required tyres to last an entire race, tipping the overall advantage to teams using Michelins over teams such as Ferrari that relied on Bridgestone tyres.
If your weapons are weak you don't have a chance." Schumacher's sole win in 2005 came at the .
He also received nominations for the 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007 awards.
In 2005, Eurobusiness magazine identified Schumacher as the world's first billionaire athlete.
When Schumacher retired in 2006, three of the top ten drivers were German, more than any other nationality and more than have ever been present in Formula One history.
In a 2006 FIA survey, Michael Schumacher was voted the most popular driver of the season among Formula One fans.
sums up his career". ====2007–2009: retirement at Ferrari==== While Schumacher was on the podium after winning the 2006 Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari issued a press release stating that he would retire from racing at the end of the 2006 season.
It was revealed on 29 October 2006 that Ferrari wanted Schumacher to act as assistant to the newly appointed CEO Jean Todt.
The saw Schumacher lead three laps during the race, marking the first time he had led a race since 2006.
For the Brazilian Grand Prix race of 2006 (at the time intended to be his final Grand Prix), he wore an all-red helmet that included the names of his ninety-one Grand Prix victories.
He holds the distinction of being the only motorsport athlete to have won the award more than once. In honour of Schumacher's racing career and his efforts to improve safety and the sport, he was awarded an FIA Gold Medal for Motor Sport in 2006.
On 13 November 2007, Schumacher, who had not driven a Formula One car since he had retired a year earlier, undertook a formal test session for the first time aboard the F2007.
He returned in December 2007 to continue helping Ferrari with their development programme at Jerez circuit.
He also received nominations for the 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007 awards.
In the same year, Schumacher was made an honorary citizen of Maranello, for his contribution to Ferrari's success. In 2007, in recognition of his contribution to Formula One racing, the Nürburgring racing track renamed turns 8 and 9 (the Audi and Shell Kurves) as the Schumacher S, and a month later he presented A1 Team Germany with the A1 World Cup at the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport 2007 awards ceremony.
Ralf Schumacher competed in Formula One for ten years, starting from 1997 until the end of 2007.
The family moved to a newly built mansion near Gland, Switzerland in 2007, covering an area of with a private beach on Lake Geneva and featuring an underground garage and petrol station, with a vintage Shell fuel pump. Schumacher and his wife own horse ranches in Texas and Switzerland. The family has two dogs – one stray that Corinna fell in love with in Brazil, and an Australian Shepherd named "Ed" whose arrival in the family made headlines.
In fact, in 2007, Schumacher personally drove a taxi through the Bavarian town of Coburg to collect the dog and enable the family to make their return flight to Switzerland.
In 2008, it was revealed that he had donated between $5M and $10M to the Clinton Foundation. Since his participation in an FIA European road safety campaign, as part of his punishment after the collision at the 1997 European Grand Prix, Schumacher continued to support other campaigns, such as Make Roads Safe, which is led by the FIA Foundation and calls on G8 countries and the UN to recognise global road deaths as a major global health issue.
In 2008, Schumacher was the figurehead of an advertising campaign by Bacardi to raise awareness about responsible drinking, with a focus on communicating an international message 'drinking and driving don't mix'.
As it became clear that Massa would be unable to compete in the next race at Valencia, Schumacher was chosen as a replacement for the Brazilian driver and on 29 July 2009, Ferrari announced that they planned to draft in Schumacher for the and subsequent Grands Prix until Massa was able to race again.
Schumacher tested in a modified F2007 to prepare himself as he had been unable to test the 2009 car due to testing restrictions.
Ferrari appealed for special permission for Schumacher to test in a 2009 spec car, but Williams, Red Bull and Toro Rosso were against this test.
Massa's place at Ferrari was instead filled by Luca Badoer and Giancarlo Fisichella. ===Mercedes (2010–2012)=== In December 2009 it was announced that Schumacher would be returning to Formula One in the season alongside fellow German driver Nico Rosberg in the new Mercedes GP team.
He featured in an advertising campaign for television, cinema and online media, supported by consumer engagements, public relations and digital media across the World. On 21 June 2009, Schumacher appeared on the BBC's motoring programme Top Gear as The Stig.
Schumacher turned 41 in January 2010 and his prospects with Mercedes were compared with the record set by the oldest F1 champion Juan Manuel Fangio who was 46 when he won his fifth championship. ====2010: return from retirement==== Schumacher's first drive of the 2010 Mercedes car – the Mercedes MGP W01 – was at an official test in February 2010 in Valencia.
GrandPrix.com identified the inherent understeer of the Mercedes car, exacerbated by the narrower front tyres introduced for the 2010 season, as contributing to Schumacher's difficulties.
Jenson Button would later claim that Mercedes's 2010 car was designed for him, and that their differing driving styles may have contributed to Schumacher's difficulties. Mercedes upgraded their car for the where Schumacher finished fourth.
Despite receiving a 10-second penalty, Schumacher recovered and won the race. ====2010 Hungarian Grand Prix==== Toward the end of the 2010 Hungarian Grand Prix, Rubens Barrichello attempted to pass Schumacher down the inside on the main straight.
Alonso believed he would have been on pole if the incident had not happened, and Schumacher was stripped of pole position by the race stewards and started the race at the back of the grid. ====2010 Monaco Grand Prix==== At the 2010 Monaco Grand Prix, the safety car was deployed after an accident involving Karun Chandhok and Jarno Trulli, and pulled into the pits on the last lap.
The deal was extended until 2010.
His donation surpassed that of any other sports person, most sports leagues, many worldwide corporations and even some countries. In 2010, his personal fortune was estimated at £515 million. Forbes designated Schumacher as the athlete with the fifth highest career earnings in 2017. ===2013 skiing accident=== On 29 December 2013, Schumacher was skiing with his then-14-year-old son Mick, descending the Combe de Saulire below the Dent de Burgin above Méribel in the French Alps.
Before, it had happened only in his début in 1991 that he finished without a win, pole position, podium or fastest lap. ====2011==== Schumacher's first points of 2011 were scored in Malaysia; he later came sixth in Spain and had a strong race at the finishing fourth, after running as high as second in a wet race.
For the 2011 Belgian Grand Prix, Schumacher's 20th anniversary in Formula One, he wore a commemorative gold-leafed helmet.
The FIA subsequently banned "team orders which interfere with the race result", but the ban was lifted for the 2011 season because the ruling was difficult to enforce. ===Dangerous driving=== ====1991 430 km of Nürburgring==== During his spell in Sauber, in the 1991 Sportscar World Championship, Schumacher was involved in a serious incident with Derek Warwick in that year's 430 km of Nürburgring.
Schumacher finished the season in eighth place in the Drivers' Championship, with 76 points. ====2012: final season==== Schumacher was again partnered by Rosberg at Mercedes for the 2012 season.
In October 2012, Schumacher announced he would retire for a second time at the conclusion of the season.
The following week he was quoted as saying: "There were times in the past few months in which I didn't want to deal with Formula One or prepare for the next Grand Prix." The season and his 21-year F1 career concluded with the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix, in which Schumacher finished seventh.
He placed 13th in the 2012 Drivers' Championship. ==Helmet== Schumacher, in conjunction with Schuberth, helped develop the first lightweight carbon helmet.
For the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix, Schumacher's 300th Grand Prix appearance, he wore a special platinum-leafed helmet with a message of his achievement. ==Honours== Schumacher was honoured many times during his career.
In December 2013, Schumacher suffered a severe brain injury in a skiing accident.
Further records were set by Schumacher in Germany, where he set the fastest lap in a Grand Prix for the 77th time in his career, and in Belgium where he became the second driver in history to race in 300 Grands Prix. Schumacher's indecision over his future plans in F1 led to him being replaced by Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes for the 2013 season.
For the 2002 and 2013 European flood disasters, Schumacher donated 1 million and 500,000 euros, respectively.
His donation surpassed that of any other sports person, most sports leagues, many worldwide corporations and even some countries. In 2010, his personal fortune was estimated at £515 million. Forbes designated Schumacher as the athlete with the fifth highest career earnings in 2017. ===2013 skiing accident=== On 29 December 2013, Schumacher was skiing with his then-14-year-old son Mick, descending the Combe de Saulire below the Dent de Burgin above Méribel in the French Alps.
He was placed in a medically induced coma until June 2014.
He left hospital in Grenoble for further rehabilitation at the University Hospital of Lausanne, before being relocated to his home to receive medical treatment and rehabilitation privately in September 2014. ==Early years== Schumacher was born in Hürth, North Rhine-Westphalia, on 3 January 1969, to Rolf Schumacher, a bricklayer, and his wife Elisabeth.
By March there were small encouraging signs, and in early April, he was showing moments of consciousness as he was gradually withdrawn from the medically induced coma. On 16 June 2014, after fully regaining consciousness, Schumacher left Grenoble Hospital for further rehabilitation at the University Hospital (CHUV) in Lausanne, Switzerland.
On 9 September 2014, Schumacher left CHUV and was brought back to his home for further rehabilitation.
In November 2014, it was reported that Schumacher was "paralysed and in a wheelchair"; he "cannot speak and has memory problems".
In a video interview released in May 2015, Schumacher's manager Sabine Kehm said that his condition is slowly improving "considering the severeness of the injury he had". In September 2016, Felix Damm, lawyer for Schumacher, told a German court that his client "cannot walk", in response to false reports from December 2015 in German publication Die Bunte that he could "walk a couple of steps".
In a video interview released in May 2015, Schumacher's manager Sabine Kehm said that his condition is slowly improving "considering the severeness of the injury he had". In September 2016, Felix Damm, lawyer for Schumacher, told a German court that his client "cannot walk", in response to false reports from December 2015 in German publication Die Bunte that he could "walk a couple of steps".
In December 2016 Schumacher's manager stated that "Michael's health is not a public issue, and so we will continue to make no comment in that regard". In July 2019, former Ferrari manager Jean Todt gave an interview to Radio Monte Carlo giving a brief update on Schumacher's health, saying that Schumacher was making "good progress" but also "struggles to communicate".
His donation surpassed that of any other sports person, most sports leagues, many worldwide corporations and even some countries. In 2010, his personal fortune was estimated at £515 million. Forbes designated Schumacher as the athlete with the fifth highest career earnings in 2017. ===2013 skiing accident=== On 29 December 2013, Schumacher was skiing with his then-14-year-old son Mick, descending the Combe de Saulire below the Dent de Burgin above Méribel in the French Alps.
In December 2016 Schumacher's manager stated that "Michael's health is not a public issue, and so we will continue to make no comment in that regard". In July 2019, former Ferrari manager Jean Todt gave an interview to Radio Monte Carlo giving a brief update on Schumacher's health, saying that Schumacher was making "good progress" but also "struggles to communicate".
Todt also said that Schumacher is able to watch Formula One races on television at his home in Switzerland. In September 2019, Le Parisien reported that Schumacher had been admitted to the Hôpital Européen Georges-Pompidou in Paris for treatment by cardiovascular surgeon Philippe Menasché, described as a "pioneer in cell surgery".
The French film Asterix and Obelix at the Olympic Games features Schumacher in a cameo role as a chariot driver called Schumix. A documentary on Schumacher, directed by German filmmakers and Hanns-Bruno Kammertöns was slated to be released in December 2019.
In 2020, Schumacher was voted the most influential person in F1 history. ===Jordan (1991)=== Schumacher made his Formula One debut with the Jordan-Ford team at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix, driving car number 32 as a replacement for the imprisoned Bertrand Gachot.
This made Schumacher the only driver in the history of the sport, as of 2020, to be disqualified from a Drivers' World Championship. ===Team orders=== Historically, team orders have always been an accepted part of Formula One.
Mick became the third Schumacher to race in Formula One, having made his debut with Haas F1 Team in the 2021 season, nine years after his father retired from Formula One. In August 1995, Michael married Corinna Betsch.
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