Michael Schumacher condition update: F1 racer may still recover, reveals friend

Ross Brawn, a good friend and colleague of legendary Formula One racer Micheal Schumacher remains hopeful that Schumi can still recover from the severe head injuries caused by a skiing accident in 2013.

Brawn, former team principal of Ferrari and Mercedes, also added that he keeps close tabs on his friend's progress.

"I do keep in touch, but we try and keep a balance of going to see him against calling, and not being a pain. I've been to see him a few times; Corinna, his wife, calls me occasionally and keeps me updated," he has been quoted as saying.

"We just keep praying every day that he'll recover to a stage where... it's slow, but there's always hope."

According to the Independent, the seven-time racing champion is now in a medically induced comma to stabilize his condition.

Brawn played an instrumental role in establishing Schumacher's reputation as one of the world's most formidable race car drivers. Schumacher won his first two world championships with Benetton between 1991 and 1996, where Brawn served as technical director. They both switched to Ferrari in 1997 and gave the team five consecutive championship titles between 2000 and 2004.

Sabine Kehm, Schumacher's manager, has said of his recovery: "We need a long time. He is making progress appropriate to the severity of the situation."

Mirror reports that Schumacher spent 159 days in a coma and was later transferred to a rehabilitation center in Lausanne, Switzerland. He has since then been cared for in a state of the art treatment facility set up in his home, under the supervision of his wife Corinna. The couple has two children.

Schumacher's journey to recovery has been slow and costly, putting a dent on the family's finances. Expenses have reportedly skyrocketed to €100,000 each week and has cost the family more than €14 million from day one. A 15-strong team is present to provide round-the-clock medical care.

The star driver has lost 65 pounds since the accident.

"While a weight loss in coma patients is normal, 20 kilos is a lot for people with normal body weights," said Professor Curt Diehm, of the Karlsbad teaching hospital in Germany.

"One must assume that his muscles have degraded greatly due to the immobility."

Schumacher holds many records in Formula One car racing. He is the driver with the most championships, race victories, fastest laps, pole positions, and most races won in a single season. According to the official Formula One website, he is "statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen".