Michael Schumacher’s family has stressed they are keeping hope alive for the stricken seven-time Formula One champion, who has been in a coma since December after hitting his head while skiing. Mercedes dedicated the Australian Grand Prix win to Schumacher this week.
Schumacher spent three years racing for Mercedes.
“Keep fighting Michael,” reads the words on at the curtain raiser in Melbourne, according to the Daily Mail.
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff said that driver Nico Rosberg’s win was dedicated to Schumacher.
“This victory has a very special meaning for us,” said Wolff. “I would like to dedicate it to Michael, who has been in all our thoughts this weekend.”
“He will keep fighting, as only he knows how, and we are sending all our strength to him.”
The news comes as his fans were enraged over driver Lewis Hamilton’s comments about Schumacher. “All things happen for a reason,” he reportedly said of Schumacher’s accident, according to The National Post. On Twitter, F1 fans expressed anger over the comments, describing them as insensitive.
“He’s a legend in the sport, you know, who has achieved so much, a very motivated individual. So I feel like all things happen for a reason, I think that this is an experience that will really show his character and depth and even more so than any other experiences he’s had,” Hamilton said in full.
Several days ago, relatives of the 45-year-old Schumacher said they will “not allow themselves to be discouraged,” according to his manager, Sabine Kehm.
“His family is incredibly strong, they won’t let themselves be discouraged,” Kehm said over the weekend, according to the Post. “They are here every day. They are brave, they accept the situation and try to carry on together with Michael. I have to say the family is coping magnificently. I have great respect and admiration for them.”
She again reiterated that Schumacher was in the wake-up phase. “We have learned to accept that it can take a long time,” she said, but she declined to elaborate on reports that claimed Schumacher showed small but “encouraging” signs.
Kehm said, “Michael remains in the waking-up phase, in other words: he has not yet woken up. We are of course waiting for that moment, but we have learned and we also accept that this could take a long time. We’ve come to terms with this,” according to news site DW.de.
Doctors had said that Schumacher’s chances of a full recovery were minimal, according to earlier reports.
“The family has been told that only a miracle can bring him back now,” a senior German journalist was quoted as saying.
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