«Corinna Schumacher, like Michael, has been a prisoner for ten years»- Corriere.it

A wife on a mission. Corinna Betsch is her husband Michael Schumacher’s guardian angel since the seven-time Formula 1 champion, on December 29, 2013, suffered a very serious skiing accident in Meribel, in the French Alps. An accident that reduced the champion, after almost ten years, to such serious health conditions as to be kept practically secret until today. If confidentiality has remained almost intact, the credit is almost exclusively from his wife, who in very long years of suffering and sacrifice has always preserved Michael’s privacy. Among the friends and acquaintances who shared rivalries and successes in the racing world with the champion, former F1 boss Eddie Jordan spoke of Corinna’s personal condition, the man who launched Schumacher when he was still a rising star in the the nineties. Her words were disseminated in a long article published by the British newspaper The Sun.

Jordan’s words: “Corinna without public life”

«A situation for which no solutions can be foreseen and for which it is prisoner for almost ten years. She constantly fights every day to keep her husband’s condition private, but he has practically given up on a life of his own», thus the Irish entrepreneur describes the drama that all the people close to the champion continue to experience, especially Corinna. At 54, the ex-Ferrari driver’s wife continues to manage all the family affairs (over 565 million euros in total assets), without ever ceasing to help her son Mick in his career as a driver, holding back journalists, onlookers, fans, paparazzi and all those who would like to know the real condition of the F1 legend. Jordan, who was prevented from seeing Michael by Corinna herself (like many others), saw the gravity of the situation as a historic family friend, telling British journalists that he fully shares this choice. «For ten years Corinna hasn’t gone to a party, a lunch or any public occasion that might expose her. Everyone who meets her asks about her husband and wants to know more about him. An eventuality that she now tries to avoid a priori. Even for the son it is very difficult in these conditions to make his way into the world of engines. She has a great talent, but she’s not just a matter of last name, she’s objectively very tough for him. She would need to express herself freely,” Jordan commented. Schumacher today can only be seen by the closest family members (ex-Ferrari team principal Jean Todt is an exception). The wife forcibly limits the flow of information every day. This is what she hinted and Jordan explained. «Many want to visit him, but Corinna has always respected the rules that she immediately imposed. Jean Todt had a special relationship with Schumacher, it is normal that he may have been an exception. I find that completely understandable.”

“Now we will protect him”

Jordan saw him grow and trusted him in 1991, when he made his debut at the age of 22 at the Spa GP in place of Betrand Gachot, a Belgian driver arrested for using tear gas during an argument with a taxi driver. The former owner of the homonymous team has always respected and loved Schumacher, when he led the team from 1991 to 2005, but also after him, admiring the talent of a champion capable of winning 91 Grands Prix out of 308 disputed. “I do not criticize Corinna’s attitude in any way, on the contrary I want as much as possible to contribute to respecting her confidentiality – said Jordan -. This to me is the only way he can help them today. I miss Michael so much, everyone misses him. Let alone his wife and children.’ Corinna speaks increasingly rarely of Schumacher, but in the documentary released by Netflix in 2021, she had done nothing but reiterate the importance of supporting him in every way, in a health condition in which the husband “is there and isn’t at the same time”. And again: «The mere fact that he is alive gives us so much strength and confidence. Michael has protected us all his life, now we will protect him ».