“He does not know he’s a seven-time champion,” ex-teammate claims in Schumacher update

February 2, 2026 Oliver Obel

More than ten years after Michael Schumacher’s skiing accident, the public record of his condition remains deliberately sparse. The former Formula One champion’s family has shared almost nothing, choosing privacy over updates as he continues a long recovery away from the spotlight.

That silence is why even cautious remarks from former teammates still draw attention though they offer impressions rather than confirmed medical detail.

What Patrese knows and what he doesn’t

Riccardo Patrese, who raced alongside Schumacher at Benetton in the early 1990s, has not seen him since the accident in the French Alps in 2013. Speaking to German outlet Hochgepokert, Patrese made clear that everything he knows comes second-hand.

“I had this news, via a friend, that he was improving and improving. But I never met him after the accident,” Patrese said.

He stressed that reports suggesting Schumacher can sit upright and visually engage with those around him are based on what he has heard rather than personal experience. “I never went there, so it’s only talk that he could sit, watch and look around and make contact with his eyes.”

Recognition without awareness of achievement

Patrese believes Schumacher is able to recognise familiar people, but doubts he understands the scale of his own career. “He’s in his own world, but he recognises people around him, familiar faces,” he said.

“I am sure he does not know he is a seven-time world champion.”

The comment highlights the contrast between Schumacher’s towering legacy in the sport built across title-winning spells at Benetton and Ferrari and the private reality described by those on the outside of his care.

Life shaped by family care

Schumacher, now 57, is cared for full-time by his wife Corinna and a dedicated medical team. Media reports have said he can be moved by wheelchair around family properties in Majorca and near Lake Geneva, though no official medical statements have been released.

Patrese pointed to the family’s role as central to Schumacher’s daily life. “Even with the condition he is in, they like to have him and care for him and love him,” he said. “He’s still with us and we can only hope that he will get better.”

A tightly limited circle

Patrese also recalled learning of the accident during the 2013 holiday period and immediately realising its seriousness when messages to Schumacher went unanswered. He later offered to visit, believing familiar voices might help, but said the family chose to keep access restricted.

That inner circle has reportedly included only a handful of trusted figures from Schumacher’s Ferrari years, including Jean Todt and Luca Badoer.

Earlier this month, Schumacher’s daughter shared a rare pre-accident family photograph on his birthday, writing: “The best forever. Happy birthday papa.”

For supporters who followed Schumacher through one of the most successful careers in Formula One history, such moments remain the only public glimpses of a life now lived entirely beyond the sport he once dominated.

Sources: Hochgepokert