Michael Schumacher paralysed with memory problems, says friend Michael Schumacher is paralysed and has memory and speech problems from the brain injuries he sustained in a skiing accident, according to Philippe Streiff, a friend and ex-Formula One driver who was himself left in a wheelchair by a crash. Schumacher, 45, suffered head injuries in the December 2013 fall and was placed in an induced coma by doctors. He was moved to his home in September but Streiff told French radio that the seven-time world champion's condition remained grave. Streiff, who was paralysed by a crash in 1989, said: "He is getting better but everything is relative. It's very difficult. He can't speak. Like me he is in a wheelchair, paralysed. He has memory problems and speech problems. A spokeswoman for Schumacher said Streiff's comments were "his opinions." Schumacher spent nine months in hospital before returning to his home in Lake Geneva to continue his recovery. Jean-Francois Payen, one of the doctors who has been treating Schumacher, said in October that he could need years to recover. "I have noticed some progress but I would say we will have to give him time," Payen, who treated Schumacher at the Grenoble hospital where Schumacher was taken after the accident. It is like for other patients. We are in a time scale of one to three years, so you need patience.