Michael Schumacher's ex-manager accuses F1 star's family of 'lies'

Michael Schumacher’s ex-manager accuses F1 champion’s family of telling him ‘lies’ about the star’s health as Corinna Schumacher and her daughter Gina receive award in his honour

• Willi Weber has again accused the Schumachers of withholding information 
• F1’s Michael Schumacher suffered a horrific skiing accident in France in 2013
• Ever since, the seven-time world champion has been kept out of the public eye

Michael Schumacher’s former F1 manager has once again accused the German racing driver’s family of ‘lying’ about the star’s health – and says he’s still angry at being frozen out. 

Willi Weber accused the Schumachers of withholding information about the seven-time world champion, who has been kept out of the public eye ever since suffering a horrific skiing accident in France in 2013. 

Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, Mr Weber, who suggested he had been ignored by the family, said: ‘I could understand the situation initially as I always did everything I could for Michael to protect his private life. 

‘But since then, we have only heard lies from them. Years after the accident, I said to myself to just look out for the family as I couldn’t change things. He was like a son to me. Even today it hurts me to talk about it.’

Mr Weber’s comments come as Corinna, 53, wife of the Formula One champion, and her daughter Gina, 25, attended the awarding of the North Rhine-Westphalia State Prize to Schumacher.

Michael Schumacher’s F1 manager has once again accused his family of ‘lying’ about the German driver’s health, and says he’s still angry at being frozen out. Pictured, Schumacher, left, and his former manager Willi Weber

Mr Weber’s comments come as Corinna, 53, wife of the Formula One champion, and her daughter Gina, 25, attended the awarding of the North Rhine-Westphalia State Prize to Schumacher 

Corinna Schumacher, wife of former Formula One champion Michael Schumacher and her daughter Gina Schumacher attend the awarding of the North Rhine-Westphalia State Prize to Michael Schumacher

Dressed in a sophisticated red suit, Corinna teared up as she accepted the award on the German champion’s behalf today. 

Appearing equally elegant in a billowing dress, Gina posed up a storm alongside her mother, while close friend and former FIA president Jean Todt was also in attendance.

Usually awarded once a year, the prize is the highest honour granted by the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, home to Hürth, the birthplace of Schumacher.

The glamorous ceremony took place at Motorworld in Cologne, Germany – but just days before the event, Mr Weber commented on his outrage at being left in the dark.

He told the Italian daily newspaper: : ‘It was a huge pain for me. I tried hundreds of times to contact Corinna and she didn’t answer. I called Jean Todt [Schumacher’s ex-boss at Ferrari] to ask him if I should go to the hospital and he told me to wait – it’s too early.

‘I didn’t expect behaviour like that and I’m still angry about it. They kept me out, telling me, “It’s too early”, well, now it’s too late. It’s been nine years. Maybe they should just say it the way it is.’

Last year, Schumacher’s wife teared up as she spoke about his tragic skiing accident that left him with a near-fatal brain injury in a rare interview. 

The emotional clip featured in new Netflix documentary, Schumacher, about the German driver’s life, which reveals his doubts about the skiing conditions in the French resort of Meribel in December 2013. 

Corinna Schumacher, 52, broke her eight-year silence about the accident in December 2013, saying that she, her two children and Michael’s family, ‘miss him everyday’. 

She says that Michael is ‘different’ since his injury, and revealed that during his racing days she had always believed that ‘guardian angels’ were watching over her husband.

Michael Schumacher’s wife teared up as she spoke about his tragic skiing accident that left him with a near-fatal brain injury in a rare interview. The emotional clip features in new Netflix documentary, Schumacher, about the German driver’s life

Corinna, 52, (pictured with Michael in Italy in 2005) broke her eight-year silence about the Formula One icon’s condition, admitting: ‘I miss Michael every day. But it’s not just me who misses him. It’s the children, the family, his father, everyone around him. ‘Everybody misses Michael, but Michael is here – different, but here. He still shows me how strong he is every day.’ 

‘I miss Michael every day. But it’s not just me who misses him. It’s the children, the family, his father, everyone around him.

‘Everybody misses Michael, but Michael is here – different, but here. He still shows me how strong he is every day.’  

‘I have never blamed God for what happened. It was just really bad luck – all the bad luck anyone can have in life.

‘It’s always terrible when you say, ‘Why is this happening to Michael or us?’ But then why does it happen to other people?’

Holding back tears, Corinna said ‘Why is this happening Michael’ but said that she ‘never blamed God’ for the tragic accident. She added later ‘Of course, I miss Michael every day. But it’s not just me who misses him. It’s the children, the family, his father, everyone around him. ‘I mean, everybody misses Michael, but Michael is here. Different, but he’s here and that gives us strength, I find

Schumacher (pictured skiing in Italy in 2005) collided with a rock while skiing in Meribel in 2013 and suffered a catastrophic brain injury that left him in a medically-induced coma for six months  

Holding back tears, Corinna continued: ‘Of course, I miss Michael every day. But it’s not just me who misses him. It’s the children, the family, his father, everyone around him.

‘I mean, everybody misses Michael, but Michael is here. Different, but he’s here and that gives us strength, I find. 

She also revealed in the documentary that Schumacher had complained about the snow conditions in the Alps and suggested flying to Dubai shortly before the tragic skiing accident.

Corinna said: ‘Shortly before it happened in Meribel, he said to me, ‘The snow isn’t optimal. We could fly to Dubai and go skydiving there’. 

It was one of the last things the father-of-two said to his wife before he collided with a rock while skiing with his son Mick, then 14. The champion driver suffered a catastrophic brain injury that left him in coma for six months.

Since then, Michael has been cared for privately at his Swiss home by Lake Geneva and the family have kept details about his health tightly guarded. 

‘We’d always made it through his races safely,’ she said. ‘Which is why I was certain he had a few guardian angels that were keeping an eye out for him.

‘I don’t know if it’s just a kind of protective wall that you put up yourself or if it’s because you’re in a way naive – but it simply never occurred to me that anything could ever happen to Michael.

Michael in archival footage with his son Mick, daughter Gina and wife Corinna, in the new Netflix documentary

Schumacher and his wife Corinna were married in August 1995, they have two children together 

‘I never blamed God for why this happened now. It (the accident) was just really bad luck – all the bad luck anyone could ever have in their life.’

Deeply protective of her husband, Corinna has been criticised by some people including Michael’s former manager Willi Weber, who claims he has been ‘cut out’ of the driver’s life.

But Michael’s wife describes how he always valued privacy and that was why the family chose not to divulge everything about his condition.

However, she did reveal that the family all live together, take part in therapy and that Michael is looked after by everyone.

‘We are trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does. We live together at home. We do therapy. We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he’s comfortable,’ Corinna says.

‘We are getting on with our lives: ‘private is private’ as he always said. It’s very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible. Michael always protected us, now we are protecting Michael.’

Corinna and Michael were married in 1995 and have two children together, Gina, 24, and Mick, 22, who has followed his father into F1. Both the children appear in the documentary.

Corinna and Michael (both pictured in documentary footage) have been married since August 1995

Corinna and Michael on their wedding day in newly released footage for the documentary

Mick was with Michael when he had his tragic accident in 2013 and described how he would ‘give up everything’ for the chance to speak to his father about motorsport now that he is competing at the top level.

The Haas driver said: ‘Since the accident, of course, these experiences, these moments that I believe many people have with their parents, are no longer present or to a lesser extent. And in my view, that is a little unfair.

‘I think me and dad, we would understand each other in a different way now. Simply because we speak a similar language – the language of motor sport – and that we would have a lot more to talk about.

‘And that is where my head is most of the time. Thinking that would be so cool … I would give up everything just for that.’

The documentary reveals new archival video of Michael, including from his wedding.

Corinna, looking back at footage of their marriage, says: ‘He was really funny. I fell in love with him simply because he was a wonderful person. I just sensed that he was something special to me.’

Schumacher’s wife has kept details of her husband’s condition private until now

Mick Schumacher and his mother Corinna during the German Sports Media Ball in Frankfurt in November 2019

She describes how she fell for the driver when he helped her to clean up after dinner, deciding he was a ‘proper bloke.’

‘I think I’m incredibly fortunate to have met Michael. He’s simply the most loveable person I’ve ever met,’ she said.

‘I once made dinner for him on his birthday. He was the only one who helped me to clear up and do the dishes. And I thought, ‘That’s a proper bloke!”

Michael is considered by many as the sport’s greatest ever driver having won seven championship titles.

It was revealed in July that Netflix has purchased the rights to air a brand new documentary into the life of the 52-year-old.

The will include interviews with other members of Michael’s family, including his father Rolf and brother Ralf, as well as motorsport figures such as Jean Todt, Bernie Ecclestone, Sebastian Vettel, Mika Häkkinen, Damon Hill, Flavio Briatore and David Coulthard.

Filmmakers, through the support of the family, will also be able to share never-before-seen archive material in the documentary set to be released on September 15.

Corinna (above, pictured in 2019) says Michael is ‘different but here’ as he continues his recovery

Corinna’s update on her husband’s condition is the first news of the driver’s health since former Ferrari boss, Jean Todt, discussed his state in May of this year, saying ‘The beauty of what have experienced is part of us and it goes on.’

He added : ‘I don’t leave him alone. Him, [his wife] Corinna, the family – we’ve had so many experiences together.’

The update followed Todt’s previous account of Michael’s state in September of last year, where he praised the work done by Corinna, who has been married to Michael since August 1995.

He told Bild: ‘I’ve spent a lot of time with Corinna since Michael had his serious skiing accident on December 29, 2013. She is a great woman and runs the family.

‘She hadn’t expected that. It happened suddenly and she had no choice. But she does it very well. I trust her, she trusts me.

‘Thanks to the work of his doctors and the cooperation of Corinna, who wanted him to survive, he survived – but with consequences.’

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