Michael Schumacher 'stable' in hospital after ski fall Published duration 1 January 2014

media caption Sabine Kehm said there had been "no significant changes" in Michael Schumacher's condition

Michael Schumacher, the most successful Formula 1 driver in history, remains in a stable but critical condition in hospital, his manager has said.

Sabine Kehm said he was being carefully looked after, and that she would not comment on rumours about his condition.

Schumacher is in a medically induced coma in hospital in Grenoble, after he suffered head injuries in a skiing accident in the French Alps on Sunday.

Doctors said on Tuesday that he had shown signs of improvement.

But they added that he was still "not out of danger".

They will not give any update on Schumacher's condition on Wednesday unless it changes significantly, Ms Kehm said.

'Not too fast'

"The good news for today is... there's no significant changes,'' Ms Kehm told reporters and well-wishers outside the hospital.

But she added that the situation remained critical.

Doctors say they cannot give a prognosis for his condition in the coming days and months.

But it is medically possible for someone to spend several weeks in an induced coma and fully recover from it.

Schumacher had been skiing off-piste when he fell and hit his head. His helmet cracked on impact after hitting a rock.

"That does not mean that Michael was travelling at high speed. He was not too fast," Ms Kehm told reporters on Tuesday.

She said that the former champion was not skiing with just his teenage son, as had been reported, but also with a group of friends.

Messages of support have come from around the world.

Schumacher is held in a great deal of affection, correspondents say.

The former champion, who turns 45 on 3 January, retired from F1 for a second time in 2012.

He won seven world championships and secured 91 race victories during his 19-year career.

The driver won two titles with Benetton, in 1994 and 1995, before switching to Ferrari in 1996 and going on to win five straight titles from 2000.

He retired in 2006 but managed to recover and made a comeback in F1 with Mercedes in 2010.

After three seasons which yielded just one podium finish, he quit the sport at the end of last year.