Michael Schumacher Latest Health, Family, and Treatments Updates; Comments From Maurizio Arrivabene and Jean Todt

Dec 03, 2015 05:34 PM EST

It has been approximately two years since seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher was involved in the skiing accident that seriously injured him to the point of being non-responsive and requiring constant treatment.  Little information is heard about his condition, and the family prefers their privacy on this matter.  A recent Michael Schumacher health update has revealed some issues of his weight and treatment costs, and there have been some recent positive comments from Jean Todt and comments from Maurizio Arrivabene that have been interpreted negatively. 

According to Vine Report, Ferrari team head Maurizio Arrivabene has received some backlash due to his remarks to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.  Arrivabene compared Schumacher and co-German racer Sebastian Vettel, with his quote of "Michael was an introvert who opened up only to a small circle of people. Seb is sunnier-the boys regard him as one of them."

Many have taken this comment to mean that Arrivabene believes that Schumacher was an outsider, but Arrivabene has attempted to explain his side of the story and that the media has taken his statement from a different context and blown it all out of proportion.  He also states that he supports Schumacher and values Schumacher's contribution to the racing scene. 

The Australian Network News recently reported a headline that reads "Michael Schumacher News: Family Giving Up?"  However, the family is not giving up, and there is a quote from FIA President and close friend Jean Todt saying the Schumacher is still fighting.  "Michael is a close friend, his family is very close to me, and I'm very close to them as well.  I see Michael very often, and Michael is still fighting, and we must keep fighting with the family."

I report two months ago from Autoweek stated that Schumacher has lost a lot of weight at 65 pounds, which is considerable as his F1 official weight was at 165 pounds.  His round-the-clock treatments are reportedly costing $150,000 per week. 

It was recently reported that Mick Schumacher, the son of Michael, will join Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at Mercedes' Stars and Cars event, following a fan vote, according to F1 Reader.  Stars and Cars takes place at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Stuttgart on December 12th, as a celebration of the brand's 2015 achievements in various motor racing categories. 

One year ago, the official Michael Schumacher website was relaunched in order to mark the 20th anniversary of the driver's first world championship. The site provides visitors a place to send messages to his wife and kids called "How to Wish Michael Well."

Most of the official Michael Schumacher site is devoted to stories of him as a racing legend, but visitors can leave a personalized message by adding a hashtag of #keepfightingmichael to their tweets, which might take a while before it appears on the official site.   Right now, the number of tweets exceeds 71,000 and counting.