- December 29 marks 10 years since Michael Schumacher’s tragic skiing accident
- The Formula One legend has not been seen publicly since the serious incident
- Fellow F1 icon Damon Hill lost his father Graham when he was just 15 years old
Damon Hill has urged Michael Schumacher’s son Mick to ‘forget’ his father’s name a decade on from the tragic skiing accident that changed his family’s lives forever.
December 29 marks a decade since Schumacher Snr suffered serious head injuries while skiing on holiday with his son in the French resort of Meribel, and the Formula One legend has not been seen publicly since the incident.
The seven-time world champion was put into an artificial coma and underwent several surgeries after the accident, and his family has rigorously suppressed information regarding his condition ever since.
Schumacher Jnr, who races as a reserve for Mercedes in Formula One, was just 14 years old when his father suffered the serious brain injuries and first spoke publicly about the incident in 2017, describing him as ‘my idol and role model’.
Fellow F1 icon Hill, who had a fierce rivalry with Schumacher Snr on the grid during the mid-1990s, has offered his advice to the 24-year-old driver. Hill lost his father – former two-time world champion Graham Hill – when he was a teenager.
Damon Hill (above) has offered his advice to Michael Schumacher’s son Mick 10 years on from the Formula One legend’s tragic skiing accident, urging him to ‘forget his father’s name’
The former seven-time world champion has not been seen publicly since suffering severe head injuries while skiing with his family in the French resort of Meribel on December 29, 2013
Mercedes reserve driver Mick was aged just 14 when his father endured the tragic accident
‘My father Graham was also world champion. I lost him when I was 15 years old,’ Hill told BILD. ‘When I heard about Michael’s accident and the consequences, I was shocked and horrified. I immediately felt for Mick because your father is the guidance person for you.
Two-time world champion Graham Hill passed away in 1975 when Damon was just 15
‘Mick has to block everything out now. He has to get to the point where he says: “Forget Michael! Forget everything around you! Forget everything that happened! Forget the name Schumacher!”
‘During the learning phase, I didn’t have anyone who really had my back. Only fathers can do this in racing – I don’t want it to sound discriminatory. They know, because they have been successful in their cars, what they need to teach their sons.
‘And Mick certainly missed that in the crucial years of development as much as I did back then. You need that!’
Ralf Schumacher, Michael’s younger brother, hinted earlier this month that the 54-year-old will never fully recover from the accident, admitting that ‘nothing is like it used to be’ despite 10 years of high-tech medical treatment.
Schumacher and his wife Corinna pictured on a skiing holiday in northern Italy back in 2005
Ralf Schumacher (right) has hinted that his older brother Michael (left) may never fully recover
He said: ‘I miss the Michael of the old days. Life is unfair from time to time.
‘Michael was very lucky throughout his life. But then there was this tragic accident.’
The 48-year-old entrepreneur and pundit added: ‘Fortunately, advanced medical science provides many opportunities. However, nothing is like it used to be.’
