Michael Schumacher updates: Manager receives Lifetime Achievement Award for F1 star, expresses hope for his recovery

Details and updates regarding the recovery of the legendary Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher remain scarce as his family maintains a media blackout. Without much to go on, many assume his condition remains the same as reported a while back, in that the F1 star continues to fight for survival and his family, friends, colleagues, and fans stay hopeful that he will recover from his traumatic injuries.

While his recovery may seem slow, the sports star is being afforded the best and most expensive care available right in his own home on Lake Geneva, with a round-the-clock team of 15 medical personnel — including doctors, physiotherapists, and nutritionists — to see to his every need.

In recent related news, Sabine Kehm, the racer's good friend as well as manager, accepted a Nurburgring Lifetime Achievement Award on Schumacher's behalf on June 3.

In her speech, Kehm paid tribute to the seven-time F1 champion, saying, "This award is an acknowledgment of his great willpower, his motivation, his talent, his discipline and his work ethic. I realize we would all like it if Michael himself could be here, but unfortunately, that is not possible. We have to accept it and learn to deal with it. We will continue to hope and do everything so that it will be different again."

It was a source of joy and relief to Schumacher's fans to know that their idol is not beyond hope. The racer's manager had also earlier divulged the reason why news on the star's condition is being kept private.

It seems that the racing champ had discussed with Kehm long before his accident some "secret" desire to vanish from the racing and media circuit, if not the world's eyes. Since the accident happened almost three years ago, on Dec. 29, 2013, Kehm has only been obeying his wishes and has respected the need for privacy the F1 great had longed for, and which his family also echoes.

In a meeting with 90 media persons, Kehm said, "Once in a long discussion Michael said to me: 'You don't need to call me for the next year, I'm disappearing.'"

She continued, "I think it was his secret dream to be able to do that some day. That's why now I still want to protect his wishes in that I don't let anything get out."

Schumacher had been on vacation with his wife Corinna and their two children when the accident occurred on the French Alps. He was brought to a hospital in Grenoble, France where he underwent life-saving operations and was placed under a medically induced coma. After six months, he was transferred to Lausanne Hospital in Switzerland. In September 2014, the retired racer was finally moved to his home, where a facility had been set up especially to address his needs fully.