Michael Schumacher suffered a severe head injury while skiing at the exclusive Meribel resort in the French Alps on December 29, 2013.
The record-breaking Formula One driver was put into a medically induced coma and underwent two life-saving operations at Grenoble Hospital.
In April 2014 Schumacher was withdrawn from the coma and moved to a hospital in Lausanne, Switzerland, before being brought home in September 2014.
Official updates from the Schumacher family have been few and far between since the accident.
In November, his wife Corinna Betsch told the press: “The decision to protect his privacy from the public has been taken in Michael’s interest.
“We have made it very clear that something serious has happened.”
In January, Schumacher celebrated his 49th birthday and his daughter Gina took to Instagram leaving a heartfelt message to her father.
She wrote on the social networking site: “Happy Birthday to the best Dad ever. We love you. #keepfighting.”
Here’s everything we know about Michael Schumacher’s condition and latest news about his health.
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Michael Schumacher suffered a severe brain injury after a skiing accident in 2013
What happened to Michael Schumacher?
Schumacher fell and hit his head on a rock while out skiing with his 14-year-old son in the French Alps.
Despite wearing a helmet, the F1 legend suffered a traumatic brain injury that left him in a coma.
Physicians said that Schumacher would almost certainly have died if he was not wearing head protection.
Doctors described his condition as “extremely serious” after his admission to Grenoble Hospital, where he underwent two life-saving operations.
Michael’s health is not a public issue and so we will continue to make no comment
No updates were given until April 2015, when it was announced that Schumacher had shown “moments of consciousness and awakening”.
Three months later a statement was released confirming that the F1 champion was no longer in a coma.
What is Michael Schumacher’s condition?
Michael Schumacher’s former boss has said that he hopes the F1 hero “will soon be among us again”.
Luca di Montezemolo told Courier Dello Sport: “As I know his strength, I dream that he will soon be among us again.”
Schumacher continues his rehabilitation from his home on the shores of Lake Geneva, but his family are reluctant to release additional information on his condition.
His agent Sabine Kehm said in December 2016: “Michael’s health is not a public issue, and so we will continue to make no comment in that regard.”
Earlier this year German magazine Bunte was forced to pay Schumacher €50,000 after a December 2015 article falsely claimed he could “walk again”.
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Michael Schumacher’s family have been reluctant to release health updates
In October Schumacher’s lawyer, Felix Damm, said he “could not walk” and that the publication had invaded Schumacher’s privacy.
He confirmed that the seven-time world champion is unable to stand without the support of therapists and accused the magazine of giving fans “false hope”.
But Professor Mark Obermann, Director of the Centre for Neurology at the Asklepios clinic in Seesen, Germany has given hope to Mr Schumacher fans, saying “they shouldn’t [give up hope]”.
Highlighting a new study he said there were good results for patients in a persistent vegetative state.
Prof Obermann said: “According to a Swedish study, between 30 and 40 percent of patients have regained consciousness within four years.”
Although he added that did not mean the patient will make a full recovery, he said: “Many can come back to life and see how their children and grandchildren grow up, what plans they have or what else happens in the family or in the circle of friends.”
He also emphasised the importance of Michael Schumacher’s family love and care which played an important part in his recovery.
Ms Kehm has said that the decision to shield the public from updates reflected Schumacher’s private personality.
She told German media: “Michael has consistently drawn a clear line between the public and the private, which has always been accepted by the fans and the media.
“The decision to protect his privacy from the public has been met in Michael’s interest.”
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Michael Schumacher’s first Championship came in 1994
Michael Schumacher’s career stats
Schumacher’s career spanned 22 years from 1991-2012. During that time he claimed seven World Championships.
He won an incredible 91 races and earned 151 podium finishes – accumulating 1,566 career points.
The German’s first win came in the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix, but his first Championship victory was in 1994, where he scraped to top spot by a single point.
Schumacer’s final race was the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix.