Michael Schumacher is receiving "secret treatment" at a hospital in Paris, according to French media.

Le Parisien newspaper reported on Monday that the former Formula One world champion is believed to be receiving a stem cell transfusion from French surgeon Philippe Menasche.

The former racing driver, who turned 50 in January, was spotted arriving at Pompidou hospital in a yellow and blue ambulance that was registered in Geneva, Switzerland, earlier that afternoon.

He was taken to the facility's cardiovascular department, the newspaper added, without naming its sources.

Stem cell treatment involves replacing damaged cells with healthy ones taken from blood or bone marrow.


It comes almost six years after Schumacher suffered severe head injuries and was placed in a medically-induced coma for several months as a result of a skiing accident in the French Alps.

He hasn't been seen in public since.

The seven-time world champion is still motor racing's most successful driver, having won a record 91 Grand Prix races in his career.

He secured his first two titles with Benetton in 1994 and 1995, and five more with Ferrari between 2000 and 2004.

A spokesperson for Schumacher did not immediately return a request for comment about the reported treatment.