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The kingdom’s motorsport fans are praying for the speedy recovery of beloved former Formula One driver Michael Schumacher who is currently fighting for his life after a horrific skiing accident.
The seven-time Formula One champion, who turns 45 at the end of the week, had suffered a severe head injury after an off-piste skiing accident in the French Alps on Sunday evening.
He was airlifted off a mountain in the upmarket Meribel resort to Grenoble University Hospital Centre after falling heavily and hitting his head on a rock while skiing on an unmarked slope with his 14-year-old son Mick.
At a press conference in Grenoble, the doctors said that he was in a coma when he arrived and had to be operated on immediately. They added that his condition remained extremely serious and that he was being kept in an artificial coma, but it was too early to give an accurate prognosis.
Professor Marc Penaud, the deputy director of Grenoble clinic, said that they cannot predict the future for Schumacher and it was too soon to talk about it. He also confirmed that the German racing legend had been brought to the clinic with a severe brain trauma.
Jean Francois Payen, the clinic’s head of anaesthetics, said that Schumacher had suffered bleeding and heavy bruising on the brain. He added that the medical team focussed on stopping the swelling, supplying the brain with oxygen and keeping the body at the recommended temperature at 34-35 degrees.
Payen said that if he had not been wearing a helmet the former world champion would not have survived the crash.
Gérard Saillant, a leading brain surgeon from Paris, had rushed to his side. Saillant, an expert in brain and spine injury, is a close friend of Schumacher having operated on him when he broke his leg at Silverstone in 1999.
Schumacher’s wife and other family members are by his bedside and according to ESPN F1, Jean Todt, his former Ferrari team boss and now president of motorsport’s governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), was also at the hospital.
Messages of support have been pouring in from close friends such as world champion Sebastian Vettel, who told German media that he was shocked and he hopes that he will get better soon.
Vettel said: “I wish his family a lot of strength.”
Former Benetton teammate Martin Brundle told Sky TV: “He’s only a year out of the F1 cockpit but as a driver and competitive person you can’t simply switch off and settle down at the end of a long career, you need challenges and achievements to keep the adrenalin flowing. But from what I read he wasn’t taking undue risks on the ski slopes, and it seems he’s been very unlucky on this one. The need for machinery and speed will always be there, it’s inevitable.
“When I read that Michael had received a blow to the right side of his head I couldn’t help but think of Ayrton (Senna), and pondered why these things so often happen to the truly great. I sincerely hope and expect, of course, that this incident has a much happier ending, and I feel sure that his competitive determination and fitness will give him the best chance.”
Schumacher’s former team Ferrari said: “Everyone at Ferrari has been in a state of anxiety since hearing about Michael Schumacher’s accident.”
Felipe Massa, 2008 F1 world champion expressed his feelings of sadness on Twitter. Massa said: “I’m praying for God to protect you, brother!” Double F1 world champion Fernando Alonso also said on Twitter: “Get well soon Michael! Hope to hear some positive news very soon! #strongman”
The tragic news not only stunned the Formula One community but it has also shaken many of his followers in Bahrain including race ace Raed Raffii.
Raffii, 25, has competed in events such as Porsche GT3 Middle East where he represented Team Bahrain. The racer, from Sanad, said: “I’m sure it was a shock for everyone in the sport and even for those not in the field. We all know Schumacher. He is a legend. And for someone like him to go through this is extremely sad.
“I wish him a speedy recovery and pray that it quickly becomes a thing of the past. I cannot imagine what his family and friends are going through right now. We are praying for them as well as Schumacher. I had been following up on his reports and the news. He still is so young and he was just racing last year. We really wish he gets through this. We are waiting for more positive news.”
Mazen Al Hilli, 38, the president of the Bahrain Circuit Racing Club, from Saar, said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. He is a legend in the sport and we all look up to him. Not just for his accomplishments, but also for getting us to love the sport more and more.
“He has a special link to Bahrain and his popularity here surpasses that of any other driver. It is truly sad to hear such news. Everybody has been talking about it and it shows their attachment to him.”
Schumacher is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers, having won the most championships, race victories, fastest laps, pole positions and races in a single season. He is also remembered for being the first to win the inaugural Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in 2004, which was the first FIA Formula One World Championship held in the Middle East.
Shaikh Hamad Al Khalifa, senior manager corporate communications at the Bahrain International Circuit, from Riffa, said: “Our hearts go out to him and his family and hope that he recovers from this tragedy soon. He is a seven-time world champion and his status in the Formula One community is big. Being that he won the first Bahrain Grand Prix in 2004, he is special to all of us in Bahrain.”
Humbert Buemi, 52, an executive director and senior representative at UBS Wealth Management Bahrain and the new Swiss Council in Bahrain, from Saar, was also touched by the tragedy.
He said: “Schumacher wrote history. He is an amazing sportsman and his name will forever remain in F1’s books. I did not know him personally but I did bump into him with my nephew, Sebastien, in the paddock or at the hotel during races. I remember once when we were heading for breakfast in a hotel in Germany and he was right there. It was an amazing feeling to have such a character and legend right next to me. I was star struck. I wish him a speedy recovery and my thoughts are with his family.”
Motor racing fan, Khalil Salman, 32, a banker from Riffa Views, was also shocked on hearing the news. Salman said: “I actually had a chance to meet him in 2004 after he won the race. I was a marshall at the time. I have always been his fan even after he retired. He is a true Formula One legend and I still can’t believe the news. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. I wish him a full and speedy recovery. This has touched so many fans like me in Bahrain and we are following up on the news. We are waiting for something positive.”
