Did Michael Schumacher attend his daughter’s wedding in October?
German F1 stalwart is reported to have made his first public appearance in 11 years
Dubai: Where’s Michael Schumacher? The Formula One racing great faded from public view after suffering a severe brain injury from a skiing accident. That was in 2013. Very little is known about his rehabilitation and recovery.
Schumacher is arguably the greatest driver in racing history. Seven times champion, the German owns many records that make him an F1 legend.
After a glittering career from 1991 to 2006, Schumacher retired only to return four years later. He struggled against the newbies, managing only one podium finish before quitting again in 2010.
Then tragedy struck.
What happened to Schumacher?
He suffered a serious skiing accident on December 29, 2013, while skiing at the Méribel resort in the French Alps. Schumacher, who was accompanied by his son Mick, veered off the track and fell, hitting a rock. The impact was strong enough to cause a severe brain injury despite wearing a helmet.
Schumacher was rushed to a nearby Moutiers hospital before being transferred to the University Hospital of Grenoble. He underwent emergency surgery after doctors discovered that he had suffered a severe traumatic brain injury.
The German F1 driver was placed in an induced coma to reduce brain swelling and control neurological damage. After a few months in a coma, Schumacher underwent two more surgeries.
Six months later, doctors began to wake Schumacher from the coma, and he was transferred to the University Hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland, to continue treatment. He was discharged in September to continue his recovery at home in Gland, Switzerland, where he continued to receive intensive care.
Schumacher’s family, led by his wife Corinne, kept a tight lid on his health status. His condition remains private, with limited updates shared by his family.
Reports say that Schumacher underwent multiple medical interventions, surgeries and intensive physiotherapy to improve his motor and cognitive functions. One cited his cardiologist Philippe Menasché suggesting that Schumacher received advanced stem cell treatments to enhance his overall condition.
Where did Schumacher reappear?
According to German media reports, the former F1 champion attended his daughter Gina-Maria’s wedding in Mallorca. Gina-Maria married Iain Bethke at Corinna’s £ 27 million property at an ultra-private event held under strict security measures, including the confiscation of mobile phones to prevent image leaks.
Media outlets like Bild and The Mirror suggest that Schumacher attended the wedding in October, making it his first public appearance in 11 years of recovery.
Was Shumacher’s appearance fake news?
While the racing world was buoyed by the news, FIA [motorsport’s international governing body] steward Johnny Herbert described the wedding appearance as ‘fake news’. He said the reports were little more than speculation. “It will always be a closed shop,” Herbert told FlashscoreUSA.com. “The most recent rumour was he attended his daughter’s wedding. Unfortunately, from what I understand that was all A1 fake news and no truth in it.”
Neurosurgeon Jussi Posti backed Herbert’s view, saying that the wedding appearance is highly unlikely. “Everything points to him being unwell. As bedridden patients, most people become so frail and stiff that it is no longer possible to get them out of bed after so many years.”
How does Schumacher speak?
Elisabetta Gregoraci, the former wife of Flavio Briatore, a former Formula 1 team principal, had earlier said that Schumacher communicates non-verbally. “Michael doesn’t speak; he only communicates with his eyes,” Diario de Mallorca and La Vanguardia reported.
His son Mick seemed to corroborate that in a 2021 Netflix documentary about his father’s life. “I think dad and me, we would understand each other now in a different way now,” he said.
The only three people who meet Schumacher
Gregoraci also said that “only three people can visit him, and I know who they are.” According to reports, the three are Luca Badoer, Schumacher’s former teammate at Ferrari, Sabine Kehm, his manager and the closest non-family member, and Jean Todt, a former Ferrari boss who has been close to the German for over 30 years.
Todt and Schumacher reportedly still watch F1 races together, but Todt has admitted in the past that the F1 legend “is no longer the Michael we knew” before the accident. “Michael is here, so I don’t miss him,” Todt told L’Equipe in 2023.
Schumacher’s former teammate at Ferrari, Felipe Massa, has also been allowed to see him occasionally. Mick Schumacher’s fiancee, Laila Hasanovic, was also reportedly allowed to see Michael Schumacher.
Another Schumacher wedding?
Schumacher’s family and close friends continue their efforts to rehabilitate the F1 great, PlanetF1 reported. Efforts include sensory stimulation through activities like listening to F1 pit radio and rides in a Mercedes-AMG vehicle, aiming to connect him with familiar sounds and experiences from his career.
There is also speculation that Mick Schumacher might soon be getting married to Danish model girlfriend Hasanovic, raising expectations for Michael Schumacher’s possible public reappearance at the family event. The Schumacher family was quick to deny it.