Ralf Schumacher has made a heartbreaking reveal surrounding the status of his legendary brother Michael.
The seven-time Formula 1 world champion sustained life-threatening injuries while skiing which left him in a medically induced coma in December 2013.
Watch every Practice, Qualifier & Race of The 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship Live and Ad-Break Free in racing on Kayo Sports. Join now and start streaming instantly >
Although he woke up from that coma 250 days later, he underwent two operations to remove blood clots, and very little was said other than the fact that he faces a long road ahead.
Updates on his ongoing condition have been kept extremely private by his closest family members.
While he may be his brother, even that hasn’t allowed Ralf to stay within the inner circle as the six-time F1 race winner revealed a cruel truth.
“Unfortunately, sometimes life isn’t fair,” Ralf told German magazine Bunte when asked about contact with his brother’s family.
“We have to accept it.”
Ralf remains in the Formula 1 world, working as a broadcaster for Sky in Germany and said he’s always there if anybody in the family needs anything.
“When I see his children Gina-Maria and Mick, my heart smiles,” he said.
“If someone in the family is looking for my advice, I’m there. They go their own way.”
Schumacher’s wife, Corinna, has protected the privacy of her husband to such an extent that only their immediate family, and closest of friends know any details.
The Schumacher’s family lawyer, Felix Damm, has played a pivotal part in this, The Sun reports.
Speaking to the German news outlet LTO, Damm explained that an official report was never released to the public to protect private matters.
“Of course, we discussed a lot about how this is possible. So we also considered whether a final report about Michael’s health could be the right way to do this,” he said.
“But that wouldn’t have been the end of it and there would have had to be constantly updated ‘water level reports’. Because as those affected, it is not up to you to put an end to the media.
“They could pick up on such a report again and again and ask, ‘And what does it look like now?’ one, two, three months or years after the message.
“And if we then wanted to take action against this reporting, we would have to deal with the argument of voluntary self-disclosure.”
As Damm explains, no one can claim the privacy of a fact that they have themselves disclosed to the public.
But, even if a friend, acquaintance, or family member discloses private information, this infringes on the private sphere.
This, Damm takes care to clarify, is not a case of voluntary self disclosure, and so the affected person is still able to defend themselves.
He maintains that his approach to the situation has strengthened the privacy protection of the Formula One legend and his family.
And while he understands that the many Schumacher fans want to know how the star is doing, he believes that they should be able to handle the lack of report, and respect the family’s privacy.