Schumacher 'fighting for his life' after ski accident

Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher, the seven-time Formula 1 champion, is "fighting for his life" after a ski accident in the French Alps, his doctors say.

The driver remains in a critical condition in hospital in Grenoble with head injuries suffered on Sunday morning at the resort of Meribel.

"We cannot tell you what the outcome will be yet," the team treating him told a news conference on Monday morning.

His family are at his bedside.

Schumacher underwent surgery on arrival at the University Hospital in Grenoble.

He remains in a coma and the medical team treating him said that they are working "hour by hour".

"All we can do is wait," they added.

Helmet

Professor Jean-Francois Payen told reporters that if Schumacher had not been wearing a protective helmet "he wouldn't be here now".

"We had to operate urgently to release some pressure in his head," Professor Payen said.

"Unfortunately, he has some lesions within his brain."

The 44-year-old German was skiing off-piste with his teenage son when he fell and hit his head on a rock.

Following the accident, Schumacher was evacuated to the hospital in the nearby town of Moutiers. He was taken from there to the larger facility in Grenoble.

Professor Payen said the driver was in an "agitated condition" on arrival in Grenoble.

He is being kept in a coma at a controlled temperature to facilitate his recovery, he added.

Retired

Schumacher, who turns 45 on 3 January, retired from F1 for a second time in 2012.

He won seven world championships and secured 91 race victories during his 19-year career.

Schumacher won two titles with Benetton, in 1994 and 1995, before switching to Ferrari in 1996 and going on to win five straight titles from 2000.

He retired in 2006, and was seriously hurt in a motorcycling accident in Spain three years later, during which he suffered neck and spine injuries.

But Schumacher managed to recover and made a comeback in F1 with Mercedes in 2010.

After three seasons which yielded just one podium finish, he quit the sport at the end of last year.

-BBC