Michael Schumacher’s doctor says F1 legend is making ‘some progress’

A French doctor who helped treat Michael Schumacher for his severe head injuries said Thursday that the legendary Formula One driver had made “some progress” in his recovery.

But Jean-Francois Payen, one of the doctors at the hospital in Grenoble, France, where Schumacher was treated for several months, cautioned that Schumacher still faces a long-term recovery.

In interviews with the French radio station RTL and the Le Parisien newspaper, Payen said recovering from such injuries could take years.

“I have seen some progress but I would say give him time,” Payen said. “It’s like other patients, we are in a time scale that ranges from one year to three years, so it takes patience.”

Schumacher, a record seven-time Formula One champion, sustained the injuries in a skiing accident in the French Alps in late December. He required two surgeries and was in a medically induced coma for weeks.

Schumacher, 45, spent six months at the Grenoble hospital. He was transferred to a hospital in Lausanne, Switzerland, in mid-June before returning to his home in Gland, Switzerland, in early September to continue his recovery.

Payen said he still visits Schumacher to track his progress and to update Schumacher’s family about changes he has observed.

“Life after a brain injury is littered with stages,” Payen said. “It must progress, we hope, but we must give him time.”

Follow @PeltzLATimes on Twitter for more motor racing news.