German seven-time world champion had an accident skiing in 2013; little information that reached the public came from close friends who paid visits to the racing legend
The seven-time champion of , , turns 56 this Friday (3) in total privacy and shrouded in mysteries regarding his health since he had an accident skiing in 2013. The little information that reached the public came from friends close friends who paid visits to the German motorsport legend in Switzerland, where he lives under the care of his wife Corinna and a medical team. In 2021, during an interview with the Italian newspaper Gazetta Dello Sport, Pietro Ferrari, vice-president of the automotive company that bears his surname, stated that the former driver had lost the ability to speak.
“I regret that today we talk about him as if he were dead. He’s not dead, he’s there, but he can’t communicate,” he said at the time. It is also known that, in 2019, Schumacher was taken to France to undergo stem cell treatment, as reported by the European press at the time. Eventually, speculation arises about appearances by the seven-time champion. In October 2024, the German newspaper Bild published that the former pilot attended the wedding of his daughter, Gina-Maria, in a ceremony in which the use of cell phones was prohibited, in Mallorca, Spain.
At the end of 2023, the Schumacher family lawyer, Felix Damm, gave an interview to the German portal Legal Tribune Online and spoke about the reasons why the issue is treated with secrecy. According to him, the family members considered publishing a report that would inform the former pilot’s situation, but they understood that such disclosure would only open the door for more questions.
“The media could come back to this report again and again and ask, ‘What’s it like now?’ One, two, three or years after the report,” explained Damm, who also mentioned the issue of “voluntary self-disclosure.” He refers to the fact that the family itself, accompanied by doctors, publicized information about the former Ferrari driver shortly after the accident.
Bribery
Over the last decade, the family has been fighting legal battles to prevent the publication of certain content about the German’s health. In recent months, great tension has been created with a case of blackmail articulated by people who had photos of Schumacher in his current state.
Markus Fritsche (Schumacher’s former security guard), Yilmaz Tozturkan (nightclub security guard), Daniel Lins (Tozturkan’s son and technology expert) allegedly threatened Schumacher’s family and asked for money so as not to publicly reveal images and personal files of the former driver of Formula 1.
The trio was arrested in June. According to the Daily Mail newspaper, more than 1,500 of the former pilot’s personal files were stolen. They were stored on four flash drives and two hard drives.
At the beginning of the trial of the three men, the name of a nurse was mentioned as a possible participant in the extortion scheme. The health professional would have helped the accused to obtain information, images and videos of the former pilot.
*With information from Estadão Conteúdo
Published by Fernando Dias
