Ferrari flags are seen in front of the CHU Nord hospital emergency unit in Grenoble, French Alps, where retired seven-times Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher is hospitalized after a ski accident, Dec. 31, 2013.
Ferrari fans will hold a silent 45th birthday tribute to Michael Schumacher outside his French hospital on Friday with the seven times Formula One world champion in a coma and fighting for his life after a skiing accident.
The Formula One team's facebook page said the Scuderia Ferrari Clubs wanted to show their support and were organizing “a silent and respectful event all in red” at the Grenoble hospital where the German has been since his fall on Sunday.
Ferrari said the team also planned a special tribute to their former driver, who won five successive titles with them, on the www.ferrarif1.com website.
Schumacher left Ferrari in 2006 but then came out of retirement in 2010 for a three-year comeback with Mercedes that ended in 2012.
The most successful driver in Formula One history, with 91 race wins to his credit, suffered head injuries while skiing off piste during a family vacation in the Alpine resort of Meribel on Sunday.
His agent Sabine Kehm said on Wednesday that he was in a stable condition and it was too early to talk about his further prospects. No further update was given on Thursday, the day before his birthday.
Doctors have carried out two operations so far, including one to remove a build-up of blood from his brain.
Schumacher's family posted a message on his official website thanking all the wellwishers from around the world.
“They are giving us great support,” it said. “We all know he is a fighter and will not give up.”
Michael Schumacher
1/7Michael Schumacher looks up at a monitor in his garage during the second practice session for the Korean Formula One Grand Prix at the Korean International Circuit in Yeongam, Oct. 14, 2011.
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2/7Michael Schumacher looks to a Ferrari car as he walks through the pit lane before the first practice session at the Formula One Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, March 12, 2010.
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3/7Michael Schumacher crashes with his Honda CBR 1000RR during the second run of the Superbike International German Championship in Oschersleben, May 18, 2008.
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4/7Michael Schumacher lifts the trophy on the podium after winning the Italian Grand Prix at the Monza race track, Sept. 10, 2006.
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5/7Michael Schumacher skis during his team's winter retreat in the Dolomite resort of Madonna Di Campiglio, Italy, Jan. 12, 2006.
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6/7Michael Schumacher leads Williams BMW Colombian driver Juan Pablo Montoya during the Italian Formula One Grand Prix at the Monza race track Sept. 14, 2003.
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7/7Michael Schumacher's car is airborne during a crash in the first practice session for the Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne, March 2, 2001.
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