A friend of Michael Schumacher has offered a rare insight into his accident recovery and the role of his wife Corinna.
F1 boss Jean Todt is hopeful that his long-time pal Michael Schumacher, 52, will continue to "slowly and surely improve" in his recovery from the shocking ski accident he suffered eight years ago.
The seven-time world champion and German native had to be placed into a medically induced coma after suffering a head injury while skiing in the French Alps.
After being transported from Grenoble to a hospital in Switzerland in 2014, he was allowed to return to his home by Lake Geneva where he has been recovering ever since.
Updates haven't been that regular between with the family keen to keep Schumacher's condition private, but close friend Todt has, at certain times, been able to reveal glimpses of the former Ferrari star's road to recovery, Mirror.co.uk reports.
Speaking to German newspaper Bild, FIA president Todt revealed Michael's wife Corinna has stepped up while her husband continues to deal with the "consequences" of that fateful accident.
He said: "I've spent a lot of time with Corinna since Michael had his serious skiing accident.
"She is a great woman and leads the family.
"She didn’t expect that.
"It happened suddenly and she had no choice."
He explained the racing legend's son Mick, who is in his first F1 season with Haas, has "a special place in my heart".
Fans expect to learn more about Schumacher's recovery when a new Netflix documentary is released on September 15 with the support of his family.
His manager Sabine Kelm said: " He is admired all over the world for his leadership qualities.
"He found the strength for this task and the balance to recharge at home, with his family, whom he loves idolatrously.
"In order to preserve his private sphere as a source of strength, he has always rigorously and consistently separated his private from his public life.
" This film tells of both worlds. It is his family's gift to their beloved husband and father."
It comes as Michael Schumacher and his wife Corinna celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary in August.
She's stood faithfully by his side after he suffered life-changing head injuries in a skiing accident that left him in a medically induced coma.
Michael, now 52, suffered terrible injuries in December 2013 while skiing off-piste in the French Alps with his son Mick, who was 14 at the time.
He hit his head on a rock and was air-lifted to hospital where he had two surgeries and was put into an induced coma for six months in a bid to reduce the swelling on his brain.
Corinna married Michael in 1995, and has had to adapt her life many times thanks to his fast-paced career as a seven-time world champion.
His 2013 accident, and the months of trauma that left doctors unsure whether he would ever regain consciousness, turned her from a wife into the principal executor of her husband's vast fortune and estate, including his varied business interests.
Horseriding champion Corinna has juggled that responsibility ever since, while overseeing her husband's medical care.
Their mansion in the Swiss town of Gland, on the shores of Lake Geneva, was adapted shortly after Schumacher's accident to help accommodate his care needs, with Corinna overseeing renovations to ensure her husband could return from hospital.
"When it became clear that the old Schumi perhaps never would return, Corinna had to accept her new life. She had to act," the German magazine Bunte reported in 2015.
"She took over the job and the power, of her husband as an act of succession. Corinna underwent a remarkable transformation - from his wife to the clan chief, a lady who trained as a sales clerk to the manager of a multi-million company."
She also took the decision to sell off Schumacher's €30million private jet and their holiday home in Norway in 2015, having realised they were unlikely to ever use them again.
Corinna also considered selling the family's ski chalet in the French resort of Meribel - near to where Michael's horrific accident happened.
Michael's legacy behind the wheel is now being continued by Mick, who is in his debut F1 season with Haas.
He is sharing the track with Lewis Hamilton - the man trying to land his eighth world title and beat the record he shares with Schumacher.
Discussing following in his dad's footsteps, Mick told Bild : "I'm OK with that; all the questions and comparisons with my father do not bother me.
"For me, he is the all-time best in this sport, to which he has given his all. I don't see why I should disregard that."
