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Formula 1 icon Michael Schumacher has kept out of the public eye since his fateful skiing accident just over 12 years ago. And new reports have shed some light on the 57-year-old's capacity to communicate.

Tragedy struck on December 29, 2013 when Schumacher hit a rock while skiing in the French Alps. His skis initially clipped a rock, catapulting him forward head-first into another. He suffered a traumatic brain injury, was airlifted to an advanced trauma centre in Grenoble and remained in a medically induced coma for nearly six months. In 2014, it was announced that the German was no longer in a coma and he continued his rehabilitation at home. In the years to follow, his time has been split between a family residence in Switzerland and a villa in Majorca.

Privacy has been of the utmost importance to the Schumacher family and the public hasn't caught a glimpse of the seven-time world champion since the accident. The media blackout has led to a blurred understanding of Schumacher's current condition, but new reports have emerged offering an update on his communication capabilities.

Just over 12 years after his ordeal, the Mail published a detailed report regarding Schumacher, in which rumours that the German attended his daughter Gina-Maria's wedding in 2024 were dashed.

They also claim that he is no longer confined to his bed and can now sit upright in a wheelchair. Staff are supposedly able to move Schumacher around his residences this way.

But importantly, regarding Schumacher's communication, the report suggests he may not fully understand what he is told because he cannot relay his response to anyone. They claim that Schumacher can understand a lot of what is going on around him, but it is likely that not everything is understood.

It contradicts previous reports of how Schumacher interacts with others. Elisabetta Gregoraci, ex-wife of former Benetton chief Flavio Briatore, told Spanish media in 2020 that the German is unable to speak but communicates through his eyes.

She said: "Michael doesn't speak, he communicates with his eyes. Only three people can visit him, and I know who they are. They moved to Spain and his wife has set up a hospital in that house."

Access to the Formula 1 icon is limited to a very small group, mainly his immediate family. Schumacher married his wife Corinna in 1995 and the couple share two children.

Son Mick followed in his father's F1 footsteps when he raced for Haas from 2021 to 2022 and he is set to star in the IndyCar Series for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing later this year.

The new reports suggest that Schumacher's wife Corinna is his primary guardian and is responsible for his privacy and care routine. In the 2021 Netflix documentary 'Schumacher' she opened up about the heartbreaking accident and the years that followed.

"Shortly before it happened in Meribel, he said to me: 'The snow isn't optimal. We could fly to Dubai and go skydiving there,'" said Corinna. "I have never blamed God for what happened.

"It was just really bad luck, all the bad luck anyone can have in life. It's always terrible when you say, 'Why is this happening to Michael or us?' But then why does it happen to other people?

"Of course, I miss Michael every day. But it's not just me who misses him. The children, the family, his father, everyone around him. I mean, everybody misses Michael."