A Formula 1 legend: Michael Schumacher © AFP / FRED DUFOUR

Schumacher's family: A new beginning and an ongoing process

Mick Schumacher's new dog also bears the name that symbolizes his sporting new beginning. The fluffy four-legged friend is called "Indie," and Mick Schumacher will compete in the IndyCar series next year.

23 December 2025

From: dpa

“I’m looking forward to 2026,” the 26-year-old wrote alongside photos with his new pet. Mick Schumacher wants to make a fresh start in the USA, giving his racing career a new boost. His sister Gina and mother Corinna, on the other hand, will be part of a ZDF-It will be a documentary that deals with the great sporting passion of the two: reining, a discipline in Western riding. Mother and daughter are among the European or even world elite in this discipline.

Last summer, just a few weeks after giving birth to her first daughter, Gina Schumacher won the World Championship titles in both team and individual events at the ranch in the Swiss municipality of Givrins, which belongs to the Schumacher family and bears the initials CS of Corinna Schumacher.

The day that changed everything

A family defined by sport and in the public eye. A family whose lives changed drastically twelve years ago when father and husband Michael Schumacher died in a skiing accident in the French Alps.

Mick Schumacher wants to relaunch his career. © AFP / SAEED KHAN

A year earlier, he had ended his Formula 1 career. His career statistics were unparalleled at the time; Michael Schumacher, with his seven titles, was the sole record holder for most world championships. More than that, he was a hero to his fans, an idol even for today's drivers. However, since the severe traumatic brain injury and the days-long fight for his life, there has only been one Michael Schumacher for his family and closest friends. Michael Schumacher has not appeared in public since his skiing accident on December 29, 2013.

Schumacher's family protects his privacy

“It was always about protecting privacy,” family lawyer Felix Damm once explained in an interview with Legal Tribune Online. Michael Schumacher did this for his family before his accident, and the family has done it for Michael Schumacher since the accident. “The decision to protect privacy from the public was made in Michael’s best interest. It is the family’s right to handle it in the way that is best for them,” Schumacher’s manager Sabine Kehm has stated repeatedly.

Corinna Schumacher, wife of Michael Schumacher. © AFP / JOE KLAMAR

Extortion attempt: Family was supposed to pay 15 million euros
But the first few days after the accident in the Méribel ski resort showed how far people would go to get information about Michael Schumacher. One journalist even disguised himself as a priest to gain access to the famous patient.

In 2014, an employee of the Swiss air rescue service Rega was found dead in his cell in the Zurich police prison. There was no evidence of foul play. He had been suspected of offering Schumacher's medical records to the media. The family also faced an extortion attempt: they were told to pay 15 million euros, or else private pictures and videos of Michael Schumacher would be published on the dark web. The 54-year-old main defendant, from the Konstanz bouncer scene, was sentenced this year by the Wuppertal Regional Court to three years in prison for attempted aggravated extortion. A former security guard for the Schumacher family received a two-year suspended sentence for aiding and abetting, and the main defendant's son received a six-month suspended sentence. His sentence is already legally binding.

What the blackmail attempt changed

"The breach of trust has led the family to keep their distance from the people who work for them, to be more cautious," said Sabine Kehm as a witness in the appeal trial concerning the attempted extortion at the Wuppertal Regional Court. "I personally find it extremely perfidious that someone would want to exploit suffering like that, so it's clear that the family is taking a tougher stance towards their employees," Kehm said.

Lewis Hamilton knows and admires Michael Schumacher. © AFP / FRED DUFOUR

The legal battle is not yet over. The Schumacher family's lawyer has filed an appeal, as has the representative of the main defendant. The case will now go before the Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf. All of this will accompany the family into the new year. Michael Schumacher will turn 57 on January 3rd. The accident happened shortly before his 45th birthday. Since then, Formula 1 has also changed.

Michael Schumacher's records, once considered to be records for eternity, have been broken or equaled, most notably by Lewis Hamilton. After Schumacher's retirement, the Briton took over his seat at Mercedes. Hamilton won six of his seven titles with the Silver Arrows and equaled his predecessor's record of World Championship victories. With 105 wins, however, he has significantly more race wins than Michael Schumacher (91), and with 104 pole positions, he is clearly ahead of his fellow record holder (68). For the past year, Hamilton has been striving to achieve further World Championship glory, just as Schumacher did at Ferrari.

"Her stature, her humility, and her sincerity say far more about Michael's values ​​than I ever could." Lewis Hamilton on Gina and Mick Schumacher

“When it comes to Michael’s legacy, however, he stands out for me primarily as a person and less as a competitor,” Hamilton wrote in the foreword to the photo book “World Champion Car Michael Schumacher”: “It’s not about titles or trophies, but about the family that he and Corinna created together.” Hamilton, who also knows Gina and Mick Schumacher, emphasized with regard to the two of them: “Their greatness, their humility and their sincerity say far more about Michael’s values ​​than I ever could.”

And so, in his new start in the IndyCar series, Mick Schumacher will also pay homage to his father and family, sporting the number 47, just as he did during his two Formula 1 years. The number 4 is his favorite. "The 7 represents my father. The 4 and the 7 together form a unity of the two of us. And the fact that the birthdays of our family add up to 47 feels like confirmation of this choice," explained Mick Schumacher.