On 29 December, 2013, the lives of the Schumacher family changed forever when the world’s greatest Formula 1 driver, Michael Schumacher, suffered a serious head injury in a skiing accident.

With him that fateful day was his son Mick Schumacher, just a teenager at the time. Now, the younger Schumacher is recalling what happened.

Mick Schumacher: “I had to find my own feet”

In late December of 2013, Michael Schumacher was just over a year into his well-earned retirement, soaking up the holiday season in the French Alps. On the 29th, the seven-time World Champion and his 14-year-old son Mick donned their gear for a day of off-piste skiing.

On an unsecured area between Piste Chamois and Piste Mauduit, Michael Schumacher fell and hit his head on a rock. It was a moment the Schumacher family would never forget

Though he was wearing protective gear, including a helmet, Schumacher’s head injuries were severe. He was airlifted to Grenoble Hospital and placed in a medically induced coma from which he slowly withdrew in April of 2014.

Since then, the Schumacher family has fiercely protected its privacy, allowing Michael Schumacher the space and time to recover — but Mick Schumacher has opened up about the tragedy in a recent interview with authors of the new book Inside Mercedes F1: Life in the Fast Lane.

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While Michael’s accident profoundly affected the entire Schumacher family, there is certainly no doubt that teenage Mick experienced the tragedy in a much different way than his family, having been the only person with his father at the time of the accident.

Now 25, Schumacher reflected on his upbringing as a “crazy kid” who was keen to follow in his father’s footsteps.

“He was really supportive and a lot of fun, but could also be challenging,” Mick said of his father.

“One time in a karting race I braked very late going into a corner and gained a lot of time. When I told him about it, he said, ‘Yes, but you should have braked like that in every corner!’”

That kind of advice was critical to the younger Schumacher’s development as a driver — but when it came time to begin his racing career in earnest, he had to strike out on his own.

“I started racing in the formula classes the year after [the accident], and from that point onwards, I had to find my own feet,” Mick Schumacher said.

“But I definitely learned a lot of technical points from him that I still use today, as well as from his coaching. And I have always been very resilient.”

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