Michael Schumacher's decade away from the spotlight as F1 icon 'a case without hope'
F1 legend Michael Schumacher was involved in a devastating skiing accident back in 2013
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Back in December 2013, Michael Schumacher went away to the French Alps excited for a skiing holiday.
Little did the F1 icon know that it would change his life and result in 10 years away from the public eye.
Schumacher went to France with his then 14-year-old son Mick, with the pair descending the Combe de Saulire together.
While crossing an unsecured off-piste area between Piste Chamois and Piste Mauduit, however, tragedy then struck.
F1 icon Michael Schumacher won seven titles during his spell in the sport
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Schumacher was wearing a ski helmet but sustained a serious injury to his head after falling on a rock. Had he not put the helmet on, experts believe he'd have died.
The F1 icon was then taken to Grenoble Hospital, with the German put into a medically induced coma because of a traumatic brain injury.
He would eventually leave Grenoble Hospital for further rehabilitation at the Lausanne University Hospital in June, having shown moments of consciousness by April.
Over the years, there have been just minor updates provided.
Felix Damm, his lawyer, told a German court in 2016 that Schumacher couldn't walk in response to claims made by publication Die Bunte that he could.
Former Ferrari team principle Jean Todt has said Schumacher 'struggles to communicate' but still enjoys watching F1 races.
And his wife, Corinna Schumacher, said in 2021 that her husband was 'the same, but different'.
In a Netflix documentary, she stated: "I miss Michael every day. But it's not just me who misses him.
"It's the children, the family, his father, everyone around him.
"Everybody misses Michael, but Michael is here - different, but here. He still shows me how strong he is every day."
She added: "We are trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does.
"We live together at home. We do therapy. We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he's comfortable.
"We are getting on with our lives: '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, now we are protecting Michael."
There have, of course, been attempts to disrupt Schumacher's recovery.
A few years after the accident in France, somebody reportedly close to the family took pictures of the Ferrari hero and tried to auction them off.
Fortunately, for everybody linked to the Schumacher family, that didn't happen. The prospect of somebody doing something so vile is horrendous to comprehend.
Schumacher's accident is one of the biggest tragedies in sporting history.
He is arguably the greatest F1 driver of all time, having won seven Championships throughout his glittering career.
Corinna Schumacher has said husband Michael is 'the same, but different'
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Lewis Hamilton has the same amount but only the Brit has managed to draw level with Schumacher's outstanding record.
The family have opted to keep him at home, where he can recover without unnecessary and unhelpful intrusion.
And now, close friend and F1 journalist Roger Benoit has claimed Schumacher is a 'case without hope'.
"No," he told Blick when asked if he was able to provide an update on Schumacher and his condition.
"There is only one answer to this question and that is what his son Mick gave in one of his rare interviews in 2022: ‘I would give anything to talk to dad’.
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Michael Schumacher retired from F1 for a second time in 2012
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"This sentence says everything about how his father has been doing for over 3500 days. A case without hope.”
It is a devastating statement, one that touches the heart and hammers home the pain everybody associated with Schumacher feels.
The past 10 years have been tough for the German, his family and his friends. As the decade mark approaches, there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel.