Michael Schumacher health latest and how he communicates as Lewis Hamilton plans tribute

Lewis Hamilton will pay tribute to Michael Schumacher this weekend (Image: Getty)

Nearly 13 years ago, Schumacher hit his head on a rock while in the French Alps and fell into a coma. The Ferrari icon's privacy has been protected ever since, with wife Corinna ensuring his condition is a total secret. It has been reported that Schumacher relies solely on his eyes to communicate with his family and friends, which was revealed by Elisabetta Gregoraci, the former partner of ex-F1 boss Flavio Briatore.

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She said: "Michael doesn't speak, he communicates with his eyes. Only three people can visit him and I know who they are. They moved to Spain and his wife has set up a hospital in that house."

Former racing driver Christian Danner also mentioned the possibility of Schumacher residing in Spain, but claims he is unaware of what is truly going on behind closed doors.

He told OLBG: "There are all these rumours he's in Majorca, and they've put him in an estate there, and so forth. When I'm speaking to Corinna, she's not mentioning it. When I'm speaking to other people who could know, they don't tell me."

The entire Ferrari team will honour Schumacher (Image: Getty)

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In January 2025, the Daily Mail reported that the 57-year-old could now sit up after years of physical therapy but was still unable to walk. Corinna has remained tight-lipped regarding her husband, stating: "We’re together. We live together at home. We do therapy.

"We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he’s comfortable. And to simply make him feel our family, our bond. 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 and now we are protecting Michael."

This weekend, Hamilton and Leclerc will wear special Schumacher-inspired Ferrari race suits with several details dedicated to the seven-time world champion. The British racer spent two years competing against the German, and they share the record for the most F1 world championships, with seven.

Ferrari will pay tribute to their former driver in Italy (Image: Getty)

The race suits will be unique to the Italian GP, sporting the usual iconic red base with white stripes down the front, along the arms and across the shoulders. Seven stars are adorned across the upper backs of the suits to represent Schumacher's F1 titles, designed in the same style as he would wear them on his helmet.

The 57-year-old's logo will also be on the hip of each suit that the Ferrari teammates will wear. The team will also pay tribute to Schumacher with a special livery to commemorate the icon's first Italian GP victory with Ferrari.

Hamilton and Leclerc will race in a design heavily inspired by the Ferrari F310, the car with which Schumacher began his stint with Scuderia in 1996. It is mostly red with some white on the wings and black intermixed throughout.

The wheels also have some gold to reimagine the original colour of the magnesium rims used 30 years ago. The seven-star pattern is featured on the nose of the car, with Schumacher's logo included as well.