F1 legend Michael Schumacher won 91 Grands Prix over the course of his glittering motorsports career.

A German journalist has uncovered two key findings about the day of Michael Schumacher’s near-fatal skiing accident in 2013. This month marks a decade since the seven-time F1 world champion suffered life-changing injuries, and the specifics of his health have been closely guarded ever since.

Schumacher was skiing with his family in the French Alps when he fell and hit his head on a rock. Despite wearing a helmet and remaining conscious in the aftermath of the accident, the German was placed into a medically induced coma for almost a year.

He was eventually allowed to return to his home in Switzerland and continue recovering alongside his family, but the former Ferrari, Mercedes and Benetton extraordinaire has not been seen publicly for 10 years.

Journalist and author Jens Gideon has been digging further into the events that led up to Schumacher’s accident, releasing his findings to German broadcaster ARD.

Michael Schumacher was injured in a skiing accident exactly a decade ago this month (Image: Getty)

Having consulted with a local ski instructor who was allegedly one of the first on the scene when Schumacher fell, it is claimed that a lack of snow on the ground made it a particularly dangerous day to ski.

“You don’t go in there on a day like that,” said the instructor. “It was clear that there wasn’t enough snow.” The lower snowfall also left rocks more exposed than usual.

The second major finding was that Schumacher appearing to remain conscious disguised the severity of his situation to medical responders.

It was initially decided that the 54-year-old would be airlifted to a hospital in Moutiers, but his health deteriorated quickly en route. It was therefore concluded shortly after landing that Schumacher should immediately be transferred to a specialist facility in Grenoble.

According to the ski instructor, the change of direction cost vital minutes before Schumacher went into a months-long coma. His health matters have been kept staunchly private, with lawyer Felix Damm brought in to protect the family’s wishes.

Michael Schumacher won five of his F1 world titles with Ferrari (Image: Getty)

As part of the documentary ‘Schumacher’ which aired on Netflix in 2021, the motorsport icon’s wife, Corinna, said: “[He’s] different, but he’s here and that gives us strength, I find. We try to carry on a family as Michael liked it and still does.

“And we are getting on with our lives. ‘Private is private’, as he always said. It is very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible.”