Michael Schumacher's health is a secret kept by his family, but a friend of the former Formula 1 driver, Richard Hopkins, who was also head of operations for Red Bull, believes that "we will never see him again", and he will not return to the public eye.
"I don't think we'll see Michael again. I'm slightly uncomfortable talking about his condition because of how secretive, for the right reasons, the family wants to keep it" Hopkins said.
Schumacher suffered a near-fatal ski accident in December 2013 that resulted in a traumatic brain injury and was placed in induced coma for six months. Then he started rehabilitation, but no information about his state has been publicly disclosed by his family.
Hopkins, speaking with SportBible (via Nine.com), said that only the closest friends of Schumacher, know about his health, and "I'm not Jean Todt, I'm not Ross Brawn, I'm not Gerhard Berger, who visit Michael". He adds that all his friends will keep the secret and privacy about Schumacher, because "that's the way the family wants it to be. I think that's fair and respectful towards the family. Even if I did know, the family would be disappointed if I shared anyway."
However, Hopkins did say that he just "spoke to someone who is very, very close to him and they just explained we're not going to hear any more from him. He's in a comfortable position as far as he can be with his state of health."