Michael Schumacher's son Mick paid an emotional tribute to mark his legendary father's 54th birthday.
The former Haas driver took to Instagram to share two pictures of the Formula One legend.
One shows Michael behind the wheel during the height of his racing career, and the other shows the pair posing together by the water in their younger years.
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In an update to his 3.3 million followers, the 23-year-old also wrote a special message: “Happy birthday to the best Dad ever, love you!”, alongside a love heart emoji.
Michael, who is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time, won seven world championships. He began his F1 career with Irish team Jordan and went on to drive for Benetton, Ferrari and Mercedes across two spells in the sport.
But just a year after retiring for a second time, he was involved in a horror skiing accident in December 2013 and was put in a medically induced coma. He has since regained consciousness and is living at his home in Switzerland, where he is said to be continuing his rehabilitation.
His current condition has been a closely guarded secret, with his family fiercely protective of his privacy.
Mick, who will take on the role of reserve driver for Mercedes in 2023 following his departure from Haas, shared the update on January 3, with thousands of fans taking to the comments to also wish his dad a happy birthday.
Mick Schumacher will be a reserve for Mercedes in the 2023 F1 season (Image: Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team)
Many shared the hashtag #KeepFightingMichael in support of the most-decorated driver in F1 history.
One person said: “We love you Michael, happy birthday and never give up.”
Another added: “Happy birthday legend, I miss you.”
A third commented: “Happy birthday to the greatest and kindest man, we love him!”
Someone else shared: “Happy birthday to your father I hope he will be much better soon you are really a golden son, Michael keep fighting you you will succeed we are all behind you we really miss him.”
The poignant birthday post comes just days after Mick posed for a photo alongside his mother and sister for Christmas. Michael, who has not been seen publicly since the horror incident in 2013, was not included in the photo.
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