- Michael Schumacher won a then record seven F1 World Championships
- The former Ferrari star tragically fell while skiing in the French Alps
- He has not been seen in public since as his family remained tight-lipped about his condition
Fans of Michael Schumacher have taken to social media to express their support for the F1 giant on the tenth anniversary of his horror crash.
The seven-time world champion had expertly piloted the most lightning-fast and dangerous machines for more than fifteen years, but just a year after his retirement he suffered a bizarre fall in the French Alps.
The incident, just meters away from a popular ski slope, resulted in serious head injuries.
The former Ferrari driver has since been kept hidden from the public, with his health trajectory closely monitored by his family.
But on the 10th anniversary of the crash, fans of the sporting icon have taken to social media to plead with the now 54-year-old to continue his fight, with the flood of messages even leading to the hashtag '#KeepFightingMichael' trending on X. .
Michael Schumacher's career included seven F1 world championships alongside a staggering string of records, and he is considered by many to be the greatest driver of all time
Schumacher has not been seen in public since a skiing accident in 2013 (Schumacher pictured with his wife Corinna in 2005)
The hashtag #KeepFightingMichael was trending on X on the 10th anniversary of Schumacher's crash
Motorsport website WTF1 simply wrote: '10 Years', next to the hashtag used by a large number of fans.
Planet F1 quoted four-time world champion and compatriot Sebastian Vettel in their post on X, formerly Twitter. The former Red Bull driver has long praised Schumacher as his inspiration in the sport.
“It's still very, very difficult.” Vettel is quoted against RTL. 'I don't want to say that I have to accept it, but that I have to accept that he continues to fight. I just miss my friend.'
Some fans took the opportunity to look back at some of Schumacher's most enduring moments on track.
One fan wrote: 'I can't believe it's been ten years already. Remember him at his best. “Mega…Mega Michael”'
While Autosport posted a video on board of the former champion's final pole position in Monaco with the message: 'A beautiful #FridayFever on board with Michael Schumacher in Monaco in 2012. Enjoy!
In November, the family's lawyer, Felix Damm, explained why his inner circle had chosen not to share a detailed update on his health.
Fans on social media shared a mix of uplifting memories, quotes and images of the sporting icon's most enduring moments on the track
'It has always been a matter of protecting private information. Of course, we had a lot of discussions about how to do that,” he said.
“We also considered whether a definitive announcement about Michael's health would be the right way to approach this. But that wouldn't have been the end and there would have had to be permanently updated 'water level reports', he explained, suggesting Schumacher's condition is evolving.
'The media could pick up such a report again and again and ask: 'And what does it look like now?', one, two, three months or years after the report. And if we were to take action against this reporting, we would have to deal with the argument of voluntary self-opening.'
Damm acknowledged that the lack of information leaves Schumacher's legions of devoted fans without answers to their stricken hero's plight, but argued that those who truly supported Michael would understand the family's need for privacy.