Schumacher has shown ‘moments of consciousness’

Michael Schumacher has “moments of consciousness and awakening“, his spokeswoman said, in a sign of progress months after the Formula One legend suffered devastating brain injuries in a ski accident.

Doctors put Schumacher in a medically induced coma after the December 29 accident in which he slammed his head on a rock while skiing at the French resort of Meribel with his son and friends, and little has filtered through since about his medical condition.

“Michael is making progress . . . He shows moments of consciousness and awakening,” Sabine Kehm said.

The 45-year-old remains in hospital in the French Alpine city of Grenoble, where he underwent two operations to remove life-threatening blood clots before being placed into a coma.

His family said at the end of January that drugs used to keep him in his deep sleep were being reduced with a view to bringing him back to consciousness.

“We are on his side during his long and difficult fight, together with the team of the hospital in Grenoble, and we keep remaining confident,” Kehm said.

There have already been signs of hope for the seven-time world champion.

In February, his friend and former Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa was quoted as saying Schumacher seemed to respond to him during a visit.

“He is sleeping, he looks normal and he showed a few responses with his mouth,” Massa told German tabloid Bild.

And last month, Schumacher’s family said they were confident that the racing legend, who defied death more than once on the track, would pull through.