Michael Schumacher: Ex-Benetton boss Flavio Briatore shares heartbreaking update on Ferrari legend's health

It has been 12 years since a freak skiing accident left Schumacher with a severe brain injury, for which he has been receiving treatment ever since.

Briatore, 75, who oversaw Schumacher’s first two world championship victories at Benetton in the 1990s, is now team boss at Alpine. Speaking to Corriere della Sera, the Italian reflected on the condition of his long-time friend, who has not been seen in public since his accident.

“If I close my eyes, I see him smiling after a victory,” Briatore said. “I prefer to remember him like that rather than him just lying on a bed. Corinna and I talk often, though.”

Schumacher, now 54, is being cared for at home near Lake Geneva by his wife Corinna and a dedicated team of medical professionals. The family has remained fiercely protective of his privacy, and details about his health remain scarce. But Briatore’s comments seem to confirm speculation that Schumacher is bed-bound.

The German driver’s ex-sister-in-law Elisabetta Gregoraci once claimed that he “doesn’t speak” and communicates only “with his eyes,” with just a few close individuals allowed to visit.

This was echoed by Schumacher’s son, Mick, in the 2021 Netflix documentary Schumacher. He said: “I think dad and me, we would understand each other now in a different way.”

In the same documentary, Corinna described Michael as “different, but here,” explaining that he continues to undergo intensive rehabilitation.

In a hopeful gesture earlier this year, Schumacher participated in a charity auction by signing a special helmet - with assistance from his wife. Former teammate Johnny Herbert described it as an “emotional” moment and hoped that it signaled an improvement in Schumacher’s health.