Only two Formula One drivers have ever won a record-breaking seven Driver’s Championships: legendary German ace Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton , who’s still on the grid. Michael retired from racing in 2012 but, in 2013, was involved in a tragic skiing accident in Meribel, France, that permanently altered his life and those of his family members. While Michael survived, the injuries he sustained in the accident meant that he has completely retreated from public life.
And, in keeping with his well-documented belief that “private is private”, his wife, Corinna Schumacher, has ensured that only a select few trusted insiders see Michael and know the true extent of his injuries and subsequent recovery. {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Former F1 driver Michael Schumacher, pictured between 2010 and 2012 while driving for the Mercedes team.
Photo: @michaelschumacher/Instagram","url":"https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/23/7b89a307-5cb7-4e3e-9bee-2fa71099ba42_84c04543.
jpg"} Former F1 driver Michael Schumacher, pictured between 2010 and 2012 while driving for the Mercedes team. Photo: @michaelschumacher/Instagram Aside from the glimpses fans were given into the lives of the Schumacher family in the 2021 Netflix documentary, Schumacher , the world remains in the dark about the racing legend’s health, with Michael not being seen in public in over a decade. Per Planet F1, 11 years after the skiing crash, which has been described as a freak accident, Corinna continues to do everything in her power to protect her husband’s privacy and create a safe space at home for his recovery.
Both his wife and protector, Corinna has ensured that Michael has not been defined by his tragedy and that his incredible legacy as one of the best ever Formula One drivers continues to live on. Here’s what you need to know about the Schumacher matriarch. Corinna Schumacher has stood by Michael Schumacher for better or worse {"@context":"https://schema.
org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Michael Schumacher’s daughter, Gina-Maria Schumacher, shared this throwback image from her childhood featuring her father, and mother Corinna Schumacher. Photo: @gina_schumacher/Instagram","url":"https://img.i-scmp.
com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/23/e0dee7d8-f222-48c7-83bf-03bdc0a79063_e71c3e31.jpg"} Michael Schumacher’s daughter, Gina-Maria Schumacher, shared this throwback image from her childhood featuring her father, and mother Corinna Schumacher. Photo: @gina_schumacher/Instagram Corinna and Michael reportedly met in 1991, and by 1995 they were married.
Michael is one of the most successful F1 drivers of all time and, from his initial struggles in the early days to claiming multiple Driver’s Championships, Corinna has been right by his side. In the 2021 Netflix documentary, Corinna said that she missed her husband every day: “But it is not just me who misses him. It’s the children, the family, his father, everyone around him.
” {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Corinna Schumacher, alongside her husband Michael Schumacher, at a photo call after the former F1 driver won his race in Hungary, in 2001. Photo: Reuters","url":"https://img.
i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/23/aaaca01f-aa17-469c-b1c4-0411e52c2234_776dfaae.jpg"} Corinna Schumacher, alongside her husband Michael Schumacher, at a photo call after the former F1 driver won his race in Hungary, in 2001.
Photo: Reuters She went on to add that she does everything in her power to ensure her husband is comfortable: “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.
” The mum of two said she felt it was her duty to protect her husband. “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.
” Michael Schumacher called his wife his “guardian angel” {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Michael Schumacher’s wife, Corinna Schumacher, is pictured entering the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire hospital in Grenoble, France, in January 2014, soon after her husband’s skiing accident. Photo: EPA","url":"https://img.
i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/23/2671df1e-99b6-44e6-8c53-cd029804af8d_5947f8c5.jpg"} Michael Schumacher’s wife, Corinna Schumacher, is pictured entering the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire hospital in Grenoble, France, in January 2014, soon after her husband’s skiing accident.
Photo: EPA In one of his last interviews before his accident, Michael described his wife as his “guardian angel”. He told German TV that the secret to their happy marriage was that they “shared the same values” and that she’d been his “guardian angel” when he was racing. She loves horses {"@context":"https://schema.
org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Corinna Schumacher and her daughter, Gina-Maria Schumacher, with one of their horses. Photo: @gina_schumacher/Instagram","url":"https://img.i-scmp.
com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/23/783043f2-1c39-402e-b9da-20c6bedc0c63_739c440a.jpg"} Corinna Schumacher and her daughter, Gina-Maria Schumacher, with one of their horses. Photo: @gina_schumacher/Instagram To mark their 10th wedding anniversary in 2005, Michael bought Corinna a ranch in Givrins, Switzerland.
She reportedly said she was 30 when she dreamed of having horses, and Michael flew her to Dubai to look at an Arabian horse. She later became a European champion in Western-style horse riding. Fast-forward to 2024 and her daughter, Gina, is a champion in the same style.
Corinna also turned her love of horses into a business empire, adding a second ranch in Gordonville, Texas to her portfolio. According to its website, the Corinna Schumacher Ranch was completed in 2012. Michael and Corinna Schumacher’s kids have followed their parents into sports {"@context":"https://schema.
org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"In January, Michael Schumacher’s daughter, Gina-Maria Schumacher, marked the ex-F1 driver’s birthday with this throwback photo of herself with her father and her brother, Mick Schumacher. Photo: @gina_schumacher/Instagram","url":"https://img.i-scmp.
com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/23/0344c0dc-f252-4f2a-9703-e70c62a7ceea_0f715ac2.jpg"} In January, Michael Schumacher’s daughter, Gina-Maria Schumacher, marked the ex-F1 driver’s birthday with this throwback photo of herself with her father and her brother, Mick Schumacher. Photo: @gina_schumacher/Instagram Michael and Corinna have two children together: daughter Gina-Maria, 26, and son Mick, 24.
Mick Schumacher has followed his dad’s footsteps into racing. He made his F1 debut at the 2021 season opener in Bahrain with Haas F1 Team and raced for two seasons. He’s currently a reserve driver for the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team and competes in the World Endurance Championship with Alpine.
Meanwhile, the couple’s daughter, Gina Schumacher, has earned a solid reputation as an equestrian, just like her mother, even winning the FEI European Reining Championship. Gina and Corinna have reportedly said they found solace in working with horses after Michael’s accident. Both Mick and Gina have maintained their father’s privacy, rarely speaking publicly about Michael.
She’s managing Michael Schumacher’s millions {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Corinna Schumacher, Michael Schumacher’s wife, poses with her dog. Photo: @gina_schumacher/Instagram","url":"https://img.
i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/23/110dc2f7-8812-4aa8-92a5-3c2c424abf79_65904288.jpg"} Corinna Schumacher, Michael Schumacher’s wife, poses with her dog.
Photo: @gina_schumacher/Instagram Corinna currently handles the Schumacher empire, which is valued at an estimated US$970 million, per Fox Sports. She has reportedly tried to scale down the Schumacher business holdings and has sold off family assets that were no longer deemed necessary, including a private jet and a house in Norway. Schumacher’s family also auctioned off his personal collection of luxury watches ahead of the Italian Grand Prix in May this year.
Eight watches from his personal collection were sold for a staggering US$4.41 million, per Sports Illustrated. The stand-out piece was a vintage pink Patek Philippe, with was bought for just over US$2.
7 million. Corinna Schumacher supported her husband throughout his legendary F1 career; since his 2013 skiing accident, she’s protected his privacy and managed his money and business affairs Michael championed Corinna’s love of horses, buying her a ranch in 2005 for their 10th anniversary; she’s turned that into a thriving business with their daughter, Gina.
