'We are doing everything for him': Schumacher fans urged to celebrate his birthday in rare statement
Fans of the F1 driver will be able to relive his successes in a virtual museum launched to coincide with his 50th birthday.
Wednesday 2 January 2019 18:50, UK
Michael Schumacher's family has released a rare statement urging fans to celebrate his birthday as he continues to recover from a head injury.
The most decorated star in Formula 1 history has not been seen in public since he fell and hit his head in a skiing accident in the French Alps five years ago.
The progress of his recovery has been kept largely secret, at the request of his wife Corinna, but on the eve of his 50th birthday, they released an encouraging statement revealing they will be celebrating his milestone.
In a statement, the family said: "We are very happy to celebrate Michael's 50th birthday tomorrow together with you and thank you from the bottom of our hearts that we can do this together.
"As a gift to him, you and us, Keep Fighting Foundation has created a virtual museum. The Official Michael Schumacher App will be released tomorrow, so that we can review all together Michael's successes.
"The app is another milestone in our effort to do justice to him and you, his fans, by celebrating his accomplishments. We wish you a lot of fun with it.
"Michael can be proud of what he has achieved, and so are we! That's why we remember his successes with the Michael Schumacher Private Collection exhibition in Cologne, by publishing memories in social media and by continuing his charitable work through the Keep Fighting Foundation.
"We want to remember and celebrate his victories, his records and his jubilation.
"You can be sure that he is in the very best of hands and that we are doing everything humanly possible to help him.
"Please understand if we are following Michael's wishes and keeping such a sensitive subject as health, as it has always been, in privacy.
"At the same time we say thank you very much for your friendship and wish you a healthy and happy year 2019."
Schumacher is understood to be receiving treatment at the family home in Lake Geneva, Switzerland.
The decision to keep so much of his health private has divided even those close to the star. His former manager Willi Weber said it was "unfortunate" his fans did not know about his health, but Ross Brawn, who has visited Schumacher, supports the family decision.
Mr Brawn, who worked with Schumacher at Benetton and Ferrari, said: "Michael has always been a very private person and that's been a guiding principle in his career, his life and his family always agreed with that choice.
"It's completely understandable that Corinna has wanted to maintain the same approach, even after the tragic event, and it's a decision we must all respect. I'm sure the millions of people who are still Michael fans will understand it, too."
In December, after winning the driver's F1 championship, Lewis Hamilton said Michael Schumacher should still be considered Formula 1's greatest driver of all time.
On Schumacher's birthday, Ferrari will launch an exhibition at their Maranello headquarters in northern Italy, to honour his successes with the Italian team.
His son, 19-year-old Mick Schumacher, is being watched closely by both Ferrari and Mercedes, with rumours he could be on the F1 track by 2022. He won F3 in 2018 and will compete in F2 in 2019.