Christian Danner, a former racing driver and close friend of Michael Schumacher, has offered a health update on the Ferrari legend 13 years after his devastating skiing accident. Speaking to OLBG, Danner said he wants to see his friend again, but acknowledged that Schumacher's absence from public life suggests he is "probably not very well".
Danner's update on Schumacher's condition
Schumacher, widely regarded as one of motorsport's all-time greats, secured a joint-record seven Drivers' Championship titles during his career. His life changed dramatically in 2013 when a skiing incident resulted in a life-altering head injury, followed by a coma. Since then, details about his condition have been closely guarded by his family, with scarce information released to the public.
Danner, who regularly provides expert analysis for Formula One broadcasts, said: "However Michael looks, or under whatever conditions he's alive - I don't know - I want to see him again." He added: "The fact that he's not appearing anywhere indicates that he's probably not very well. But Formula 1's prepared for that. Formula 1's prepared for everything. He's one of the heroes in the history of Formula 1, so if he would be happy and fit enough to come back, no matter the circumstances, in whatever condition, I think Formula 1 can cope with it easily."
Family keeps whereabouts private
Danner revealed he maintains frequent contact with Schumacher's wife, Corinna, but the family has kept the former driver's current whereabouts private. He said: "There are all these rumours he's in Majorca, and they've put him in an estate there, and so forth. When I'm speaking to Corinna, she's not mentioning it. When I'm speaking to other people who could know, they don't tell me."
In 2021, Corinna spoke about her husband, saying: "We're together. We live together at home. We do therapy. We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he's comfortable. And to simply make him feel our family, our bond. 'Private is private', as he always said. It's very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible. Michael always protected us and now we are protecting Michael."
Danner expressed his personal desire to see Schumacher again, saying: "For me personally, it would be absolutely smashing to see him. I think that feeling is around for virtually everybody in Formula 1."
