Michael Schumacher shows 'slight improvement'

There has been a ‘slight improvement’ in Michael Schumacher's condition, a source close to the Formula One legend said on Monday, more than a week after a skiing accident left him with life-threatening injuries.

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There are small signs of improvement and his family hopes that he will pull through; the source told the German sports news agency SID on condition of anonymity.

On the other hand a statement released by the medical team at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire clinic in Grenoble earlier on Monday, said there was essentially no change in Schumacher's condition since its last update, issued on Saturday.

"The clinical state of Michael Schumacher is stable as he's under permanent care and treatment," the statement said. "However, the medical team in charge stresses that it continues to assess his situation as critical."

It also said there would be no further updates on his condition "for the time being."

Michael Schumacher’s manager, Sabine Kehm and the medical team also repeated a call to the media to respect the right to privacy of both the patient and his family.

Schumacher has been in a medically induced coma since undergoing two emergency operations just hours after he fell and hit his head on a rock while skiing off-piste with his son at the Meribel resort on December 29.