Former Formula One driver Riccardo Patrese has opened up about how he reached out to Michael Schumacher’s family following the F1 legend’s life-changing skiing accident

Michael Schumacher pictured with his wife Corinna(Image: Photo credit should read STR/AFP via Getty Images)

It’s been more than 12 years since Michael Schumacher sustained a life-altering injury whilst skiing. The Formula One icon was put into a medically-induced coma after the incident, which took place in the French Alps in 2013.

Since emerging from the coma, he has required around-the-clock medical care with as many as 15 people looking after him, according to reports.

Details about Schumacher’s condition have been extremely scarce, with the family maintaining strict privacy since the accident. A Daily Mail report recently suggested that Schumacher is no longer confined to bed and is moved around his home in a wheelchair, with care costing “tens of thousands of pounds per week”.

Now, former team-mate Riccardo Patrese, who raced alongside Schumacher at Benetton, has revealed details of a phone conversation he had with the F1 legend’s wife, Corinna and an offer he made in an effort to assist with his former colleague’s situation.

“We were very good friends. And then it was Christmas time,” Patrese told Hochgepokert, referring to the timing of the incident.

“I heard about the accident. Nobody knew how bad it was. So, I sent a message on his telephone, ‘Everything okay, Michael?’ Unfortunately, there was no answer.

Michael Schumacher suffered his accident in 2013(Image: Photo by Hoch Zwei/Getty Images)

“I knew at once the problem was big and so in that moment everything changed and that was the last contact I made with him. I did offer to help to see if it would help if I went to see him. I tried, yes, if they wanted me to help, I could be there.

“But they preferred to stay alone. I saw Corinna at Goodwood in 2019 when they held the celebration of Michael’s career. We were celebrating his career because the Duke wanted to have this tribute to Michael. It was a great event, but I didn’t ask her how Michael was.

“From the time of the accident, I said to Corinna, ‘Do you want me to come and maybe try to talk and see if he can wake up and so on?’ And she said to me, ‘Don’t worry, Riccardo.’”.

“I understood that they didn’t like to have anybody around apart from a few trusted people like Jean Todt and Luca Badoer as well, because he was a very close friend to Michael in the time that he was testing for Ferrari when they were a winning team.

Schumacher’s accident completely altered his life(Image: Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

“Apart from these people I think nobody could have come closer to Michael. We had good times together till the last moment.”

When Schumacher’s accident occurred, the F1 icon had retired just the year before and was on holiday with his wife Corinna, son Mick and daughter Gina in Meribel, France.

Schumacher was skiing off-piste when he struck a rock and fell, causing him to hit his head on another rock 10 metres away. The collision split his helmet in half and although he was initially conscious, he couldn’t respond to questions properly, making urgent specialist medical care essential.

Schumacher was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Moutiers before being moved to a specialist trauma centre in Grenoble. Thought he ultimately survived, there was a period when even medical professionals were uncertain about his chances.

Jean-Francois Payen, head of anaesthetics, confirmed that without a helmet, he likely wouldn’t have made it.

Fortunately, medical staff at the trauma centre were able to save Schumacher’s life, though he was initially placed in an induced coma. The Formula One legend’s privacy remains fiercely protected, with just three or four individuals beyond his immediate family allowed to visit him.