Michael Schumacher does not know he is a seven-time world champion but he has been able to sit up for years, according to his former Formula One team-mate Riccardo Patrese.
Sources close to the F1 legend, who is cared for by his wife of 30 years Corinna along with a team of nurses and therapists, told how Schumacher is sitting up in a wheelchair and can be pushed around his £30million estate in Majorca and his £50million residence at Gland, on the shores of Lake Geneva.
But Patrese, who drove alongside the German for Bennetton in the 1993 F1 season, claims he began hearing positive murmurings about Schumacher some six years ago.
‘I had this news, via a friend, that he was improving. But I never met him after the accident,’ the Italian told Hochgepokert. ‘I never went there, so it’s only talk that he could sit, watch and look around and make contact with his eyes.
‘After the first improvements, my knowledge about his health was that he was in the situation that they described this week. He’s in his own world, but he recognises people around him, familiar faces. I am sure he does not know he is a seven-time world champion.
Riccardo Patrese (right) drove with Michael Schumacher for Benetton in the 1993 F1 season
Patrese believes Schumacher ‘does not know he is a seven-time world champion’ anymore
‘Of course Michael is now living in the way that he is with a lot of effort from the family. I think in this kind of situation, it is a treasure for the person that they love. Even with the condition he is in, they like to have him and care for him and love him.
‘He’s still with us and we can only hope that he will get better. We are really hoping, every day he is doing a little bit more. I’m very happy to hear that Michael is improving but from what I know of this situation nothing has changed for some years.’
Schumacher’s privacy is seen as paramount. Ever since he crashed into rocks near the French Alps resort of Meribel in December 2013, he has been kept out of the public eye.
And six-time Grand Prix winner Patrese says his offer to try and ‘wake up’ Schumacher, shortly after he had suffered the injuries, was rejected by Corinna.
‘We were very good friends. And then it was Christmas time. I heard about the accident. Nobody knew how bad it was. So, I sent a message on his telephone, “Everything okay, Michael?”,’ he explained.
‘Unfortunately, there was no answer. 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. But they preferred to stay alone.
‘I saw Corinna at Goodwood in 2019 when they held the celebration of Michael’s career… 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.
‘Apart from these people I think nobody could have come closer to Michael. We had good times together till the last moment.’
Patrese joined Benetton in 1993 after finishing the previous season as runner-up for the World Drivers’ Championship. However, he was outperformed by Schumacher at this new team and retired at the end of the season.