he has made progress in relation to the severity of his injury,' said Todt, now president of the International Automobile Federation.

'But a long and hard road is in front of him. Hopefully things will improve. His family is close to him. He needs time and peace.'

Schumacher is being cared for by a team of 15 experts at his home. It is understood he remains immobile and unable to speak.

His care is estimated to be costing his family 100,000 pounds per month.

At the end of the year his father Rolf is moving from his home in Germany into a specially constructed residence built for him in the grounds of the 35 million pound Schumacher mansion at Gland, on the shores of Lake Geneva.

Mick has been tipped to follow inhis father's footsteps in his own motorsport career.

The 15-year-old finished runner-up at the world championships in France last month, before coming second again in the German junior kart championships last week.

Having raced under the surname of Betsch, his mother Corinna's maiden name, Mick Schumacher adopted the name Mick Jnr this season.