Michael Schumacher update: Family issue statement to say he is ‘in the very best hands’ ahead of 50th birthday

The seven-time Formula One world champion will turn 50 on Thursday, a week after the fifth anniversary of his life-changing skiing accident

Michael Schumacher’s family have issued a rare medical update on the eve of his 50th birthday, just days after the fifth anniversary of his life-changing skiing accident.

The Keep Fighting Foundation, set-up in Schumacher’s name after he suffered a serious brain injury while skiing in Meribel in late 2013, will honour his 50th birthday on Thursday with a virtual museum on the Official Michael Schumacher App, which will honour his life achievement in Formula One.

But ahead of its unveiling, a family statement has been posted on the seven-time world champion’s Instagram page to update fans on Schumacher’s recovery, which continues at his family home near Lake Geneva in Switzerland.

"We are very happy to celebrate Michael's 50th birthday tomorrow together with you and thank you from the bottom of our hearts that we can do this together,” the statement read.

“As a gift to him, you and us, Keep Fighting Foundation has created a virtual museum. The Official Michael Schumacher App will be released tomorrow, so that we can review all together Michael's successes. The app is another milestone in our effort to do justice to him and you, his fans, by celebrating his accomplishments. We wish you a lot of fun with it.

Schumacher is said to be in 'the very best of hands' (Action Images)

“Michael can be proud of what he has achieved, and so are we! That's why we remember his successes with the Michael Schumacher Private Collection exhibition in Cologne, by publishing memories in social media and by continuing his charitable work through the Keep Fighting Foundation. We want to remember and celebrate his victories, his records and his jubilation.

“You can be sure that he is in the very best of hands and that we are doing everything humanly possible to help him. Please understand (that) we are following Michael's wishes and keeping such a sensitive subject as health, as it has always been, in privacy. At the same time we say thank you very much for your friendship and wish you a healthy and happy year 2019."

Schumacher’s manager, Sabine Kehm, has kept updates on Schumacher’s medical condition to a minimum in order to allow him to recover in private and away from the world’s media, while she has also represented the family in legal cases that have arisen since his accident.

More recently, Kehm has assumed the role of manager to Michael’s son, Mick, who will enter Formula Two this season as he continues on the path towards F1 and following in his father’s famous footsteps.