The portrait of Michael Schumacher is seen on a video screen as he is awarded with Millenium trophy during the Bambi 2014 media awards ceremony in Berlin November 13, 2014 (Source: Reuters)

Close to two years since his horrific fall during a ski trip to the Alps, Michael Schumacher is paralysed and has problems with his memory and speech, revealed a close friend of F1 legend.

“He is getting better but everything is relative,” former Formula 1 driver Philippe Streiff was quoted as saying by The Independent. “It’s very difficult. He can’t speak,” said the Frenchman, who is a close friend of Schumacher.

“Like me he is in a wheelchair, paralysed. He has memory problems and speech problems,” said Streiff who had suffered a crash during pre-season testing at Rio de Janeiro’s Jacarepagua circuit ahead of the 1989 campaign and is now in a wheelchair.

Schumacher was moved to his family home near Lake Geneva in Switzerland in September last year as he continues his recovery from the brain injury he suffered in the fall in December 2013. The newspaper quoted a spokesman for Schumacher saying Streiff’s claims were “his opinion”, and no medical update on Schumacher’s condition is expected given his manager Sabine Kehm’s recent comments that it could be some time before the next one is issued. One of the doctors who treated the seven-time world champion after the skiing accident said it could take years for him to recover from his injuries.

“I have noticed some progress but I would say we will have to give him time,” Jean-Francois Payen said. “It is like for other patients. We are in a time scale of one to three years, so you need patience,” newspaper quoted him as saying.

Earlier this month Schumacher’s official website was re-launched to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his first world championship title in 1994. During the occasion Schumacher’s family thanked the fans for their support and reiterated they were confident of his recovery.