What happened to Michael Schumacher, the racing driver who smashed records – then vanished

For galore successful the racing world, Michael Schumacher’s sanction is inactive synonymous with greatness.

The German operator was a champion connected the F1 circuits, racking up 91 wins during his heyday successful the 1990s. When helium retired successful 2006, helium held the grounds for the astir wins, rod positions and podium finishes, and inactive maintains the grounds for the astir fastest laps (77).

But that each came to a crashing halt successful 2013, erstwhile helium had a life-changing encephalon accident. Since then, Schumacher ne'er been seen successful public, and small is known astir his health.

However, with reports that helium was seen for the archetypal clip successful a decennary astatine his daughter’s wedding, helium whitethorn beryllium acceptable to measurement backmost into the spotlight.

Here’s everything we cognize astir the racing driver.

Born successful the West German municipality of Hürth connected January 3, 1969, Schumacher came from a working-class household that nurtured his talent. His father, Rolf, was a bricklayer who aboriginal ran the section kart track, and modified his son’s pedal kart astatine the property of four, adding a diesel engine.

Schumacher promptly crashed it into a lamppost, aft which his begetter enrolled him arsenic the youngest subordinate of the karting nine successful neighbouring Kerpen-Horrem.

Rolf built him a kart from spare parts (as good arsenic taking connected 2 jobs to assistance hs lad prosecute his dreams), and astatine the property of six, Schumacher won his archetypal nine championship.

His prima soon stared to emergence – and with it, his ambition. German regulations forbade kart drivers from getting their licence nether the property of 14; to get astir it, Schumacher went to Luxembourg and got his astatine the property of 12, past went onto triumph the German Junior Kart Championship. A twelvemonth later, helium got his German kart licence.

By 1987, helium was the German and European kart champion, and dropped retired of schoolhouse to enactment arsenic a mechanic. Shortly after, helium pivoted to racing cars: successful 1989, helium signed onto the WTS Formula Three team, earlier joining the Mercedes-Benz inferior racing programme successful 1990.

On the track, Schumacher rapidly established himself arsenic a unit to beryllium reckoned with.

Racing for Jordan-Ford, Benetton and yet Ferrari, helium started racking up triumph aft triumph from 1990 onwards. In 1992, helium finished 3 points up of renowned racing operator Ayrton Senna, who told a person helium thought the German was "the adjacent large threat, mode up of each the different drivers astir astatine the time.”

He became known for his velocity and quality to propulsion his car to the precise limit, often snatching triumph astatine the past 2nd done a daring accelerated lap.

He was besides committed to improving his racing by immoderate means necessary, particularly fitness. In 2004, Slate mag called him "the astir ascendant jock successful the world", acknowledgment to being "quicker, stronger, and fitter than the contention by outworking them successful the value room.” This adjacent extended to grooming his cervix muscles via a four-hour regular routine, successful bid withstand the G-forces helium was subjected to successful the cockpit.

The flexibility and adaptability of the German’s driving benignant paired with a chill caput nether pressure. Over the people of his career, helium earned the nickname “Regenkonig” oregon the Rain King, for winning 17 retired of 30 races helium contested successful bedewed conditions.

Giancarlo Fisichella told La Gazzetta dello Sport successful 2023 that his erstwhile rival “didn’t adjacent look to person sweated” successful races, adding that helium “rewrote the past of Formula One.”

Fellow F1 drivers agreed: drivers who followed Schumacher onto the track, specified arsenic Sebastian Vettel, mention Schumacher arsenic a cardinal inspiration for them (Vettel, who retired successful 2022, called him an “idol”), portion Austrian Niki Lauda called him “the greatest. Nobody volition ever bushed him, arsenic agelong arsenic we are alive.”

After a star-studded career, Schumacher yet retired for bully successful 2012. He did truthful arsenic the fifth-highest earning jock of each time, victor of aggregate awards – including a Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Pelé – and a aggregate grounds holder, immoderate of which stay unbeaten to this day.

In 2013, Schumacher was skiing successful Grenoble erstwhile helium fell and deed his caput connected a rock. Schumacher was an experienced skier, but deed an exposed stone arsenic helium descended the upland and flew done the air, hitting different stone 10 metres distant and cracking his helmet.

The close broadside of his caput sustained terrible harm – truthful terrible that medics said helium would person died had helium not been wearing protective headgear. He was airlifted to hospital, wherever helium underwent 2 operations and was enactment successful a medically-induced coma for 7 months.

By April 2014, helium was showing moments of consciousness, and was brought retired of the coma. In November 2014, helium was reportedly “paralysed and successful a wheelchair”, and incapable to speak, but Schumacher’s manager Sabine Kehm told property the pursuing twelvemonth that helium was dilatory improving: "I tin lone accidental again: There are signs that springiness america encouragement," she said.

Not overmuch other is known. In 2023, his erstwhile Ferrari manager, Jean Todt, told French regular L’Equipe that "Michael is here, truthful I don’t miss him.

"[But he] is simply not the Michael helium utilized to be. He is antithetic and is wonderfully guided by his woman and children who support him. His beingness is antithetic present and I person the privilege of sharing moments with him. That’s each determination is to say. Unfortunately, destiny struck him 10 years ago. He is nary longer the Michael we knew successful Formula One."

Since the accident, the German been surviving astatine his location successful Lake Geneva, and his woman Corinna is fiercely protective of his privacy. Reportedly, lone 3 household members and a squad of medics are regularly successful interaction with Schumacher, who is said to necessitate round-the-clock care.

“‘We’re together. We unrecorded unneurotic astatine home. We bash therapy,” she said successful a 2021 Netflix documentary. “We bash everything we tin to marque Michael amended and to marque him comfortable. And to simply marque him consciousness our family, our bond.”

Despite the near-total soundlessness connected Schumacher’s condition, aft 11 years, it was reported that the racing operator had attended his archetypal nationalist event.

This was the wedding of his 27-year-old girl Gina to Iain Bethke, astatine the family’s villa successful Majorca. Guests were asked to permission their phones astatine the door, and Majorcan quality tract Ultima Hora said the ceremonial lasted astir fractional an hour, with nary media invited.

There could beryllium different quality connected the cards, too: Schumacher’s 25-year-old lad Mick got engaged this week to long-time woman Laila Hasanovic.

Mick talked successful 2017 astir his dada being an “idol” and “role model”, and has followed successful his footsteps by besides pursuing a vocation successful racing. With a wedding to attend, possibly we’ll beryllium seeing much from Schumacher himself successful future.