“We are and remain confident that Michael will pull through and will wake
up,” the relatives said in a statement.
Doctors in France have been working to bring the seven-time champion out of a
medically induced coma.
The 45-year-old German suffered a severe head injury in a skiing accident in
the French Alps on 29 December.
He has been kept in a coma to help reduce the swelling in his brain
On Wednesday, Schumacher’s manager, Sabine Kehm, released a statement on
behalf of his family because of “an increasing interest in [his]
condition in light of the start of the Formula 1 season”.
The family praised the efforts of the French doctors at Grenoble hospital, but
also warned that “it was clear from the start that this will be a long
and hard fight for Michael.”
“We are and remain confident that Michael will pull through and will wake
up. There sometimes are small, encouraging signs, but we also know that this
is the time to be very patient,” the statement added.
Investigators probing the accident said Schumacher had been going at the speed
of “a very good skier” at the time of his crash in the resort of
Meribel.
He had been skiing off-piste when he fell and hit a rock, investigators said.
Experts reconstructed events leading up to the crash after examining
Schumacher’s skiing equipment and viewing footage filmed on a camera
attached to his helmet.
Schumacher retired from racing in 2012 after a 19-year career.
He won two titles with Benetton, in 1994 and 1995, before switching to Ferrari
in 1996 and going on to win five straight titles from 2000.