Jean Todt, FIA President and close friend of injured Formula One race car driver Michael Schumacher, said that Lewis Hamilton's third world title made him recall Schumacher's achievements, the BBC reports.
Todt, who is also the team principal at Maranello, talked about Lewis Hamilton as a third time Formula One champion and how it still brought him back to remembering Schumacher.
"It was interesting last week after Lewis won the title for the third time. You saw the figures [for Schumacher]. I was very proud of what Michael achieved. Sometimes you tend to forget what he did," the 69-year-old said.
Schumacher won first with Benetton back in 1994 and went on to do it again the next year. He became the poster boy and a household name for Ferrari where he dominated the sport until 2006.
Things went on a downhill when he drove with Mercedes in 2010 to 2012. He finished third at the 2012 European Grand Prix in Valencia. He went through three unsuccessful seasons, prompting people to think that his real success was with Ferrari.
After retiring the second time, Schumacher suffered in a horrific ski accident the following year when he hit his head on a rock in the Alpine resort of Meribel in December 2013. For six months, the F1 star languished in a coma and remains bedridden a year later at his home in Geneva as of press time.
According to The Telegraph, Schumacher is "still fighting" onwards, despite small signs of progress since 2013.
Todt said: "I see Michael very often, and Michael is still fighting, and we must keep fighting with the family."
The F1 legend stays at his multi-million medical suite back home in Lake Geneva to afford him round the clock care and rehabilitation. The family are intensely private and have hired security to keep away intruders.
Despite the family's tragedy, the Schumacher legacy lives on in Mick Schumacher, the F1 champion's son, who has won the best rookie award in his first race as a Formula Four driver back in April.
The Guardian reports that 16-year-old Mick began his career at the Oschersleben Motorsport Arena, a humble old-school track, home to sports cars and bikes. Mick used his mother's maiden name, Betsch, to steer away unwanted attention.
In 2014, he won second in the Junior Kart World and European and in the German Nationals.
Sabine Kehm, who manages Michael and now Mick, says that "he, first of all, has to learn to handle the Formula 4 car."
The family is proud that Mick has returned the Schumacher name to racing, to keep the memory of his father burning on.
