Michael Schumacher's family issues rare statement after accident
The family of Michael Schumacher has issued a rare statement regarding the stricken Formula 1 legend.
Notoriously private since he suffered head injuries in a skiing accident in 2013, Schumacher’s family have gone public with their support for a new charity initiative.
EXPLAINER: Everything we know about Michael Schumacher’s condition
Schumacher’s family have refused to release updates on his condition in recent years, but on Thursday made a public statement for the second time in the last few months.
Schumacher’s manager Sabine Kehm announced the family’s approval of a special charity poster celebrating his storied career.
The poster was released by the ‘Keep Fighting Foundation’, to raise funds for the ‘Never Give Up’ charity based in Germany.
Kehm said the poster celebrates her client’s career, but said it doesn’t reflect any change in his condition.
“We are delighted to be partnering with ZOOM to raise money for the Keep Fighting Foundation,” Kehm said on behalf of the Schumacher family.
“This is a stunning way to celebrate Michael’s iconic career and by the way a very beautiful poster.”
The Keep Fighting Foundation says it is honouring Schumacher through a number of charity projects, including research into road safety awareness.
The poster shows Schumacher winning the F1 world championship in 2000, his first title with Ferrari and third overall.
Confusion around Schumacher’s whereabouts
In August, Schumacher’s family were forced to respond to reports he was being relocated from Switzerland to Mallorca.
“The Schumacher family does not plan to move to Mallorca,” Kehm told AFP in an email.
L’Illustre based its story on a comment from Andratx mayor Katia Rouarch, saying she could “officially confirm” the 49-year-old German would be settling in the village.
“Everything is being put in place to accommodate him,” she was quoted by the magazine as saying.
But the municipality issued a statement maintaining that Rouarch had been misquoted, “probably (as a) result of misinterpretation or misunderstanding, perhaps due to language translation.”
Schumacher fell and hit his head against a rock while skiing in the French Alps with his family in December 2013.
He spent time in hospital in Grenoble and Lausanne before being brought to his home on the shores of Lake Geneva in September 2014 to continue his rehabilitation.
Schumacher’s family has avoided providing any details about his health, insisting it is not a public issue, and his current condition remains a mystery.