- OOJ - Michael Schumacher during his years at Ferrari (Reuters)
UPDATE 10:00 MONDAY
Michael Schumacher is in an "extremely serious" condition following surgery on a brain injury sustained in a ski crash, doctors at his hospital in France have said.
Doctors at the Grenoble hospital where Michael Schumacher is being treated describe his condition as "extremely serious". They say he is fighting for his life but will not speculate about his chances of survival or recovery.
The F1 legend has "inter-cranial haematoma", which is bleeding between the brain and the skull which causes the brain to swell.
He has undergone only one operation and there are currently no plans for further surgery at this stage.
Schumacher's helmet may have saved his life. "If he had not been wearing it he wouldn't have made it here."
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BACKGROUND
Michael Schumacher is in a "critical condition" after suffering a serious brain injury in a skiing accident in the French Alps resort of Meribel on Sunday, according to the French hospital at which he is being treated.
Retired seven-times Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher was in 'critical' condition with head injuries after an off-piste skiing accident in the French Alps resort of Meribel.
The 44-year-old German was in hospital in Grenoble and under the care of Professor Gerard Saillant, a brain and spinal injury expert who is also president of the FIA Institute, and who treated Schumacher following a big crash at Silverstone in 1999 which left the German with a broken leg.
He suffered head trauma with coma that needed prompt neurosurgical treatment," Schumacher's agent Sabine Kehm said in a statement late on Sunday evening, which a hospital official read to reporters.
"He remains in a critical condition."
A hospital official declined to give more details but said more information would be given on Monday.
(Photo: Michael Schumacher was taken by helicopter to the CHU hospital in Grenoble)
Christophe Gernigon-Lecomte, the director of the Meribel ski resort where Schumacher has a holiday home, said earlier that the former champion was wearing a helmet when he fell and hit his head on a rock at around 11:00. CET (10:00 UK time).
He added that the German had been conscious while being transported first to a local hospital in Moutiers before then being transferred to Grenoble. "He was conscious but very agitated while being taken to hospital," said the director.
It is a feature of head injuries that the patient can initially appear relatively unhurt, before their condition worsens as the brain swells.
(Photo: A fan waits anxiously for updates outside the hospital in Grenoble)
In Germany, Schumacher's accident topped news bulletins, with the bestselling tabloid newspaper Bild reporting on its website: "Schumi fighting for his life".
Bild reporters also said that Ross Brawn, the Briton who worked with Schumacher at Ferrari and Mercedes as technical director and team principal respectively, had arrived in Grenoble.
The Formula One community, and the wider world of motorsport, reacted with shock and prayers on social network Twitter for the champion to win his biggest battle.
"If anyone can pull through, it's him," said Britain's triple Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti, who is still walking on crutches after a huge crash in October that ended his racing career.
"Come on Michael, give us one of those race stints at pure qualifying pace to win through, like you used to. You can do it," said Schumacher's former Benetton team mate Martin Brundle.
Former Ferrari team mate Felipe Massa, who suffered a near fatal head injury at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, said he was praying for his friend.
(Photo: File photo of Schumacher on a skiing trip in 2006)
Schumacher is the most successful Formula One driver of all time with a record 91 race victories in an extraordinary - and frequently controversial - career spanning more than two decades.
He won his first two titles with Benetton in 1994, the year when Brazilian triple champion Ayrton Senna died in a crash at the San Marino Grand Prix, and 1995.
The German then took five in a row with Ferrari between 2000 and 2004 in what now seems a golden age for the Italian team who named a square after him at their Fiorano test track.
Schumacher left the sport last year after a less successful three-year comeback with Mercedes following an earlier retirement from Ferrari at the end of 2006. He lives in Switzerland with his wife and two children.
(Photo: Schumacher celebrates one of his 91 race wins, the 2006 Italian Grand Prix)
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