Michael Schumacher’s former F1 team-mate claims the legendary driver’s family are ‘waiting for science’ in the hope something will be able to ‘bring back’ the man they knew

Michael Schumacher’s former Benetton teammate has claimed the Formula 1 legend’s family are ‘waiting for science’ following his devastating skiing injury.

The seven-time world champion has remained completely out of the public eye after suffering a near-fatal brain injury during a skiing holiday at the famous Meribel resort in the French Alps in 2013.

After venturing off-piste, Schumacher crashed into an invisible boulder under the snow, catapulting the then 44-year-old headfirst into a rock, cracking his helmet and causing a traumatic brain injury.

Schumacher subsequently spent several months in a medically induced coma in Grenoble hospital, before being released into the care of his family the following year.

Updates on his health over the next decade were few and far between, with his wife Corinna controlling who could visit him while he continued his rehabilitation at home.

Schumacher was involved in a horrific skiing accident in 2013 and has not been seen in public since

Johnny Herbert spent two seasons alongside Schumacher at Benetton and gave his opinion on Schumacher’s current state.

‘Because we have not heard from the family, it appears that unfortunately he is probably in the same situation as immediately after the accident.’ Herbert said BettingSites.co.uk.

“It doesn’t seem like they’ve moved much, if at all. I guess the family is waiting for science to come up with something that will hopefully bring back the Michael we all knew.”

Herbert further confirmed that only a select number of people from the racing world were allowed to visit Schumacher, namely Ross Brawn and Jean Todt Gerhard Berger.

The 59-year-old also spoke about some of his personal memories of his time with the German, recalling Schumacher’s sense of humor off the track.

“We all know there was a hugely serious side to him, completely driven by getting the best out of himself,” he continued.

‘But there was that downtime at the end of the season, the relaxing moment we always had after Adelaide. He enjoyed the alcoholic treats available and so did we all. We could only do it once a year.

“He walked around the room and his party piece was ripping off everyone’s shirts. Pants too. But it was mostly button-down shirts that he wanted to rip off. That was the nice side of him.

Johnny Herbert was Benetton’s number two when Schumacher triumphed in 1995

Herbert also spoke about his former teammate’s “great sense of humor” and shared some memories of their time together

‘Those are the memories that most people didn’t see, but they are the beautiful memories I have of him. He had a great sense of humor and hopefully we’ll see something back.”

Schumacher ultimately finished first in the 1995 Formula 1 World Championship and claimed the second of his seven world titles, with Benetton triumphing with a 25-point lead in the constructors’ standings.

That year, Herbert finished fourth and claimed two of his three career Grand Prix victories, including a victory on home soil at Silverstone, before leaving the team at the end of the season to join Sauber.