In a recent interview with the BBC, Brawn revealed that there had been 'encouraging signs' about Schumacher while his family continue to attend to him.

But speaking to The Guardian newspaper, Brawn said that his comments did not intend to suggest that Schumacher's recovery was going well, with his family keeping his condition a closely-guarded secret.

Speaking about if he still visited the German, Brawn said: “We do. We go see him and hope and pray that one day he will make a recovery.

"I was quoted as saying he’s improving and it was not what I really meant. The family are conducting his convalescence in private and I need to respect that.

"So I don’t want to comment on his condition beyond saying we’re extremely hopeful we’ll see Michael as we knew him at some point in the future.”

Brawn added how terrible it had been when he was informed of Schumacher's skiing accident three years ago.

“I was going up to Scotland for new year and his PA called," added Brawn. "We cancelled our plans and went to see him.

"It was terribly traumatic for the family – and shocking for us. Michael was such a strong character and all through his racing career he only suffered a broken leg. The irony of this happening during a quieter life was terrible.”