Michael Schumacher health update: Max Verstappen gushes over holidays with ‘Uncle Michael’
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Schumacher, who retired from Formula One in 2002 after winning a record seven world titles, suffered a serious brain injury after falling and hitting his head on a rock while skiing with his son Mick in the French Alps in December 2013. He was wearing a helmet at the time and survived the horrific accident. But very little is known about his current condition, with the sporting legend’s family choosing to keep those details private from the public.
Verstappen dominated the sporting headlines before Christmas when he became the Formula One World Champion for the first time in a dramatic end to the season.
The Dutch superstar passed Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the final grand prix to deny the Briton a record eighth world title that would have seen him surpass Schumacher’s tally.
Now in a heartbreaking update, he has revealed details of the holidays and weekends he spent with the Schumacher family as a child, which also saw them go karting.
Max’s father Jos Verstappen and Schumacher became friends after driving together for the Benetton racing team in 1994, which saw them take their children on holiday together.
But at the time, the young Max Verstappen had no idea it was F1 world champion Michael Schumacher.
In a revealing interview, he told F!-Insider.com: “I was three or four years old at the time. I just knew him as Uncle Michael.
“He was very nice. He very much was a family man.
“But I never saw him as the record world champion, I wasn’t aware of that.
“You can see that in the old photos and videos that we have at home.”
Schumacher’s son Mick – currently an F1 driver himself – and Gina were also part of the holidays and weekends away.
Verstappen added: “It was great. I still have positive memories of those weekends today.”
The children used to take a seat next to their famous fathers in two-seaters and were also allowed to drive themselves.
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The young Dutchman remembers: “Michael with Mick or Gina, my father with me.”
Verstappen explained if things got too dangerous, their fathers would have taken over the wheel again very quickly.
He also remembers the Verstappen’s first go-kart excursions took them to Germany.
The F21champion said: “In Feuerbach-Hahn, for example.
“I think the track no longer exists.
“Then in Ampfing and of course a lot in Kerpen, the home of Michael Schumacher.”
Following his horrific accident on the French Alps ion December 2013, Schumacher was air-lifted to hospital in nearby Grenoble before undergoing two rounds of surgery.
He was then placed in a medically induced coma for six months.
Schumacher has since returned to his home in Lake Geneva, where he has reportedly received around-the-clock care since 2014 from his wife Corinna and a specialist team of medical professionals.
Additional reporting by Monika Pallenberg.
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