Jean Todt, who was in charge of Ferrari’s Formula 1 team during Michael Schumacher’s reign atop the sport, has pulled back the curtain a bit about the racing legend.
Schumacher suffered life-changing injuries during a skiing accident 12 years ago and has not made a public appearance since.
The icon’s family has been incredibly secretive about his medical condition, with very few people being allowed access for more than a decade to the seven-time world champion – and Todt is one of them.
In fact, Todt recently revealed that he sees Schumacher “regularly” and that their bond goes much farther than that of former work colleagues.
“The family has decided not to answer the question (on his condition),” Todt told La Repubblica. “A choice that I respect.
“I see him regularly and with affection, him and his family. Our bond goes beyond the past work. It is part of my life, which today is very far from Formula 1.”
Schumacher and his immediate family have been protective of his privacy after he sustained a life-changing brain injury as a result of a skiing accident at the French resort of Meribel in 2013. The full extent of the injury has never been revealed to the public.
Last year, Schumacher reportedly was spotted in public for the first time in more than a decade as he attended his daughter’s wedding in September.
Schumacher’s 27-year-old daughter, Gina-Marie, wed Iain Bethke at the family’s luxurious villa on the Spanish island of Mallorca.
The four-acre estate, which was purchased in 2017 from Real Madrid chairman Florentino Perez, has its own helipad which is used to transport Michael from his family home near Lake Geneva in Switzerland to the 15,000 square-metre villa.
Privacy at the wedding was closely guarded, with guests required to leave their phones at the door before entering. It is believed to be the first time Schumacher has been in public, interacting with friends and family members since his accident.
However, Johnny Herbert — a friend of Schumacher who also raced in F1 between 1989 and 2000 — later rubbished the reports and described them as “fake news.”
“It will always be a closed shop. The most recent rumour was he attended his daughter’s wedding,” Herbert told Flashscore in November. “Unfortunately, from what I understand that was all A1 fake news and no truth in it.”
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