Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari Formula 1 race car has been put up for auction, according to a report.
Schumacher, a seven-time world champion, was placed into a medical coma in late December after hitting his head on a rock while skiing. In June, the 45-year-old emerged from the coma and was taken to a Swiss rehab facility.
Doctors who have commented on the matter have given grim predictions, saying he likely won’t be able to walk again. One of the most recent updates on his condition a few weeks ago said that he was able to communicate with his loved ones via blinking his eyes.
Fox Sports reported that Schumacher’s Ferrari 248 F1 chassis No. 253 was being auctioned. He used the car in the 2006 season in three races. The car is being auctioned for $3.3 million.
Bild.de this week also reported that the man who allegedly stole Schumacher’s medical records while he was being transported from France to Switzerland was a German from St. Gallen.
“Neighbors describe him as a loner who lived childless with his girlfriend,” Bild wrote.
The man allegedly committed suicide after it was alleged he stole Schumacher’s records.
The man, an air ambulance employee whose name wasn’t released, was found hanged in a Zurich police jail on Wednesday morning as officers were handing out breakfast, prosecutors said in a statement. Initial investigations indicated that no one else was involved, they said.
The air ambulance service, Rega, arranged the seven-time F1 champion’s transfer in June from a hospital in France to a hospital in Lausanne, Switzerland, to continue his recovery from a Dec. 29 skiing accident.
A week later, Schumacher’s manager said medical documents purported to be Schumacher’s were being offered for sale to some media. Swiss prosecutors opened an investigation into suspected violation of professional secrecy after Rega and Schumacher’s family filed criminal complaints.
The investigation led prosecutors to the Rega employee, who was arrested on Tuesday. He denied wrongdoing in questioning by police, and prosecutors had planned to question him further.
Prosecutors said they currently have no evidence of further suspects and likely will close the case.
“This tragic event leaves us sad and speechless,” Rega chief executive Ernst Kohler said, adding that the company is offering support to the man’s relatives.
Rega has said it organized Schumacher’s transfer to Lausanne and, as part of that, was given a medical report by the Grenoble hospital where he had been treated since his accident.
The Associated Press contributed.
