Michael Schumacher well being replace: Fears F1 icon ‘not okay’ amid speak of public look
A Netflix documentary shed light on the remarkable career of Ferrari legend Michael Schumacher, but speculation around the F1 icon’s health continues to rumble on
An ex-pal of Michael Schumacher hopes to see him in public again(Image: (Photo by FERRARI PRESS OFFICE / AFP via Getty Images))
An ex-pal of Michael Schumacher says he hopes to see the Formula One legend in public again. But only if the Ferrari legend is “okay”.
Schumacher won seven world titles and retired from the sport as an icon, but suffered a tragic skiing accident in 2013 that led to a life-threatening head injury. He has not been seen in public since and his family have not disclosed his condition 13 years on.
There have been hopes in Formula One that the German may be seen in public again one day, following various reports about his condition. But former Red Bull chief Richard Hopkins, who enjoyed regular coffees with Schumacher around the paddocks when he was a McLaren mechanic, says he only wants to see him again if he is well enough.
Michael Schumacher was involved in a skiing accident in 2013(Image: Bongarts/Getty Images)
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Hopkins told iPredicta: “I hope we see him again. I’d love to. But only if that’s right. I don’t think anybody wants to see Michael in a situation we don’t want to see Michael in, or Michael doesn’t want us to see him in.
“So I’d love to see Michael, but I’d love to see Michael okay. I think ‘okay’ is the right word to use. But equally, at the same time, if he’s not okay, I’d rather not.
“I don’t know what Corinna thinks. I don’t know what her thoughts on this are. But maybe it’s in some ways aligned to that, in as far as it’s Michael. He was the ultimate in strength, and I think she’s protecting him more than maybe protecting herself and the family and everything else.
“I’d love to see Michael and have a chat with him, and have a coffee with Michael, rather than see him in a not-okay situation. So you’ve got to respect that.
“I hope we see him again. I’d love to. But only if that’s right. I don’t think anybody wants to see Michael in a situation we don’t want to see Michael in, or Michael doesn’t want us to see him in.
“So I’d love to see Michael, but I’d love to see Michael okay. I think ‘okay’ is the right word to use. But equally, at the same time, if he’s not okay, I’d rather not.
Richard Hopkins only wants to see him in public again once he’s “okay”(Image: JEAN-LOUP GAUTREAU, AFP via Getty Images)
“I don’t know what Corinna thinks. I don’t know what her thoughts on this are. But maybe it’s in some ways aligned to that, in as far as it’s Michael. He was the ultimate in strength, and I think she’s protecting him more than maybe protecting herself and the family and everything else.
“I’d love to see Michael and have a chat with him, and have a coffee with Michael, rather than see him in a not-okay situation. So you’ve got to respect that.”
A recent Netflix documentary detailed Schumacher’s rise in 1994, the tragic season in which Ayrton Senna was killed. It featured interviews with Schumacher’s wife Corinna and also showed the legend in detail off the track.
Hopkins says he wasn’t surprised and said he was less robotic than people felt. He said: “Schumacher was a very emotional guy, wore his heart on his sleeve, as far as occasions where he got emotionally angry, I suppose.
“Not necessarily emotionally sad. I’m sure there were other occasions when he did. The guy wasn’t completely made of steel. He wasn’t a bloody robot. He was a human being at the end of the day.
“So I’m sure behind closed doors a lot of what we saw was a bit of an act, dare I say, but I think that was all for his reasoning.”
