It's been 12 years since the world last saw Michael Schumacher, and a friend from his inner circle has given a devastating prediction about the legendary racing car driver's future.

The Formula Oneicon suffered a seriousski accident in December 2013, while out in the French Alps. An experienced skier, Schumacher fell and hit his head against a rock, resulting in a catastrophic brain injury. It's believed that, had he not been wearing his helmet, he wouldn't have survived.

In the years since, details about the 56-year-old's condition have been kept fiercely private, and only those within his inner circle have been permitted to see him.Even those who worked alongside Schumacher in the glory days have been kept in the dark, and don't hold out much hope of anything changing going forward.

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In a recent interview with SPORTbible, former Red Bull head of operations Richard Hopkins gave an update on the star's health and predicted that he'll likely never been seen again. "I haven't heard anything recently. I understand he has a Finnish doctor, a personal doctor. I don't think we'll see Michael again. I'm slightly uncomfortable talking about his condition because of how secretive, for the right reasons, the family wants to keep it. So I can make a remark, have an opinion, but I'm not in that inner circle. I'm not Jean Todt, I'm not Ross Brawn, I'm not Gerhard Berger, who visit Michael. I'm a long way from that."

Hopkins first met the German world record breaker back in the early '90s when he was a mechanic for McLaren, and Schumacher was a race winner for Benetton. A friendship developed, and the two men grew close over coffee breaks around the racing paddock. When pressed as to whether he had any insight at all on Schumacher, Hopkins continued: "I can't say I'm best friends with Jean Todt, or Ross, or Gerhard. I think even if you were Ross Brawn's best friend, and you asked how well Michael was, and even if you plied Ross with a lot of good red wine, I don't think he would open up and share.

"I think there is that respect with anybody who goes to visit Michael, not to share anything. That's the way the family wants it to be. I think that's fair and respectful towards the family. Even if I did know, the family would be disappointed if I shared anyway." Right from the beginning of the ordeal, Michael's family did their best to keep the details of his condition out of the public eye, although a few updates were given.

In the immediate aftermath, it was confirmed that Michael was fighting for his life and was in critical condition. Another statement wasn't released until April 2014, when the family shared that Michael had shown 'moments of consciousness and awakening'. The following summer, it was confirmed that Michael was out of the coma and had been moved to a rehabilitation facility.

By September 2014, Michael had been brought back to his family home on Lake Geneva in September 2014, where he was cared for around the clock by his devoted wife Corinna and a team of medics. Having dedicated herself to guarding her husband's dignity, Corinna has permitted only a select few trusted friends and relatives to visit him, under strict protocols. Meanwhile, it's understood that only a handful of people know the details of Michael's condition and care, which remain shrouded in mystery.

In the 2021 Netflix documentary SCHUMACHER, Corinna emphasised the importance of protecting her husband's privacy, stating: "We're trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives. It's very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible. Michael always protected us, and now we are protecting Michael."

And the trusted circle has grown ever smaller after an extortion attempt threatened to leak information about his health. Markus Fritsche, 54, who worked for a security firm responsible for protecting the family home, was accused of conspiring to steal photographs and medical details from a computer and passing them on to Tozturkan. He denied any involvement in the extortion. Nightclub bouncer Yilmaz Tozturkan, 54, was sentenced to three years in prison in February this year after plotting to use 900 personal photos and nearly 600 videos of Schumacher to demand £12million from his family.

He threatened to upload them along with confidential medical records onto the dark web. However, Tozturkan is currently free after posting bail worth 10,000 euros (£8,800), according to Bild. Fritsche was handed a two-year suspended sentence at Wuppertal district court, while Tozturkan's 31-year-old son Daniel Lins was given a six-month suspended sentence for assisting in the plot.

One of the two hard drives which the data was stored on has not been recovered, with the Schumacher family since making it clear that they want a harsher punishment for the trio. During the appeal hearing on November 14, Lins withdrew his appeal, meaning his suspended sentence became legally binding.

He announced he would no longer testify in the trial as the son of the main defendant. His father had also announced shortly before that he would no longer make any statements.

At the appeal trial this month, the Schumachers' long-serving manager Sabine Kehm spoke about the blackmail attempt as a witness. Kehm, 60, who is one of the few people included in the family’s inner circle, cited the increased mistrust as a result of the ordeal as a reason for Corinna now granting even fewer people access to her husband.

Kehm told the court: "The breach of trust has led to the family keeping more distance from the people who work for them, to being more cautious. I personally find it extremely perfidious that they want to exploit the suffering like this, so it's clear that the family is taking a tougher stance towards their members."

Among those included in the inner circle are Corinna, her children Mick and Gina-Maria Schumacher, Kehm and close Formula One friendsRoss Brawn,Jean Todt, Gerhard Berger, Luca Badoer and Felipe Massa.

Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com

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