Michael Schumacher ‘awakening’ from coma

Schumacher, 45, fell while skiing in France four days after Christmas last December. He hit the right side of his head on a rock, cracking his helmet.

Doctors operated to remove blood clots from his brain, but some remained because they were too deeply embedded.

Schumacher’s condition stabilised after he was placed in a drug-induced coma. In late January, doctors at a hospital in the French city of Grenoble began the process of withdrawing sedatives to try to wake him up.

Hopes of progress

“Michael is making progress on his way,” Schumacher’s manager, Sabine Kehm, said in a statement. “He shows moments of consciousness and awakening.”

“We are on his side during his long and difficult fight, together with the team of the hospital in Grenoble, and we keep remaining confident,” Kehm said.

She added that she and Schumacher’s family would not elaborate any further. “This is necessary to protect the privacy of Michael and his family, and to enable the medical team to work in full calmness,” she added.

Schumacher earned acclaim for his uncommon and sometimes ruthless driving talent, which took him to a record 91 race wins. He retired from Formula One in 2012 after winning an unmatched seven world titles.

The accident happened on a family vacation in the Alps as Schumacher was skiing with his 14-year-old son.