Michael Schumacher slowly getting better, says wife Corinna - MotorSportsTalk

Michael Schumacher’s condition is slowly improving following his transfer to a rehabilitation centre in Switzerland, according to his wife, Corinna.

The seven-time F1 world champion suffered severe head injuries in a skiing accident at the end of last year that put him in a coma for almost six months.

After being cared for by neurologists in Grenoble, Schumacher came out of his coma and left the hospital in June.

He has since been moved to a rehabilitation centre in Lausanne, Switzerland, that specialises in the care of head injury patients.

Speaking to German magazine Neue Post, Corinna briefly commented on her husband’s condition, saying: “It’s getting better, slowly certainly, but in any case it’s improving.”

This news will undoubtedly bring a smile to members of the F1 community who have closely followed Schumacher’s condition since the accident in December.

Last month, his management confirmed that his medical files had been stolen, but there have been no further updates on this.

Schumacher has been honored by a number of drivers and teams within the F1 paddock, with many choosing to run with messages of support on their helmets and cars in 2014. Although Corinna’s update is encouraging, there is still a long road to recovery ahead for the most decorated individual in the history of Formula 1.

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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”