12 years since Michael Schumacher's incident in the Alps

      On December 29, 2013, at around 11 a.m. at the Méribel ski resort in the French Alps, Michael Schumacher fell victim to a tragic turn of events and suffered a catastrophic traumatic brain injury — the seven-time world champion was 44 years old at the time.

      The chronology of subsequent events is well known, but now, 4,383 days after that incident on the Saulire slope, only the family of the seven-time world champion and a very small number of people they trust know the truth about the great driver's actual state of health.

      The family has every right to remain silent and to try to prevent leaks of information, although this only breeds endless conjecture and speculation. Over the 12 years there have been quite a few stories with a criminal undertone, and they continue to this day because there are unscrupulous people who try to profit from the Schumacher family's misfortune, but it is hardly appropriate to discuss that now.

      One can only quote Sabine Kehm, who for many years acted as Schumacher's manager and later oversaw the career of his son Mick: "The big problem for the family is this: where do you draw the line between trust and mistrust?"

      Perhaps it is best to find signs of hope in the words of Jean Todt, former head of the Ferrari team, ex-president of the FIA and a close friend of the Schumacher family, who a few years ago on German TV said: "I don't miss Michael, because I can see him. But, of course, I miss the things we used to do together in the past. But he is aware of what is happening now in Formula 1 — I watch the races with Michael, that's true..."

      Michael's wife, Corinna Schumacher, has limited the number of people who may visit the seven-time world champion. According to Bild, the "inner circle" now includes Corinna herself, Michael's children — Mick and Gina-Maria — Sabine Kehm, Jean Todt, Ross Brawn, Gerhard Berger, Luca Badoer and Felipe Massa. Visits to Michael Schumacher by others are prohibited.

      Let us recall the words the Schumacher family adopted as the name of their foundation Keep Fighting, founded in 2017 — "Keep fighting!"