The family of Formula One icon Michael Schumacher has since been firm on their request to keep the status of his health away from the public. Unfortunately, that did not stop several media outlets even from release inaccurate “family photos.”
Over the weekend, Michael’s son, Mick Schumacher, took to social media to clarify that several photos being published supposedly showing him and his sister as kids are fake. The younger Schumacher shared three photos, two of which seemingly shows him joining his father in car racing events. The third image also shows a young boy and a young girl implying it is Michael’s daughter, Gina-Maria Schumacher.
“These photos are often published because they supposedly show me as a child with my father. To clarify: these pictures here do NOT show me, and neither do they show Gina,” Mick wrote on Twitter. “I'm sorry for the people in these photos. I can only appeal to all media to remove them from their archives.”
These photos are often published because they supposedly show me as a child with my father. To clarify: these pictures here do NOT show me, and neither do they show Gina. I'm sorry for the people in these photos. I can only appeal to all media to remove them from their archives. pic.twitter.com/EvbzjFUArl
— Mick Schumacher (@SchumacherMick) February 3, 2019
The Schumacher family has been silent about Michael’s recovery from the 2013 skiing accident that caused him severe injuries. But, they have also taken necessary measures and legal actions to stop the spread of misinformation about Michael’s health.
The German magazine Bunte published an article in December 2015 claiming that Michael “can walk again.” The family later filed a lawsuit against the media company in a court in Hamburg and argued (via Daily Mail) that the story was “false” and “damaged the right to privacy of Mr. Schumacher and his family.” A Hamburg regional court later ruled in favor of the Schumacher family and ordered Bunte to pay £45,000 (over $58,000) in damages and cover 65 percent of the plaintiff’s legal fees.
However, in time for Michael’s 50th birthday last month, the Schumacher family provided a rare update on how the 7-time F1 World Championship winner is doing. “You can be sure that he is in the very best of hands and that we are doing everything humanly possible to help him,” the statement read. “Please understand if we are following Michael’s wishes and keeping such a sensitive subject as health, as it has always been, in privacy.”
