A former doctor for Formula 1 auto racing is casting doubt on claims that seven-time world champion driver Michael Schumacher is making progress in his recovery from a near fatal skiing accident in December.
Dr. Gary Hartstein slammed the manager, who said Monday that the German driving great has emerged from his medically induced coma and was “responding” to his wife’s voice, according to The Daily Mail.
Hartstein claimed the news was “almost certainly false. We are told, with what appears to be a bit of a triumphal air, that Michael is no longer in a coma,” Hartstein wrote on his blog.
“This is not news. I cannot help but think that this is a highly cynical use of language.”
Schumacher was recently transferred from Grenoble University Hospital in France to a rehab clinic in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The German newspaper Bild has said that the F1 great is now able to breathe unassisted for unspecified periods of time.
Hartstein has been a critic of the lack of transparency over Schumacher’s condition since his Dec. 29 accident and has said fans are being misled about his condition.
“This all leaves a very bad taste in my mouth and a huge space of sadness for Michael’s family,” Hartstein wrote.
The 45-year-old Schumacher is believed to have lost 44 pounds since his accident, and still cannot walk or talk.