A former Formula 1 driver and friend of Michael Schumacher has claimed that the seven-time world champion is paralysed in a wheelchair and has memory problems following his skiing accident last year.

The 45-year-old has been continuing his rehabilitation at his home in Lake Geneva after being discharged from hospital in September following a nine-month stay.

Schumacher was placed in an induced coma after suffering serious injuries when he hit his head on a rock while skiing off-piste in the French Alps on December 29.

Strieff, who was paralysed himself following a crash in 1989, told French radio: "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."

According to The Guardian, a spokeswoman for Schumacher has said that Streiff's comments were "his opinions".

Schumacher had two operations on his brain after he was first rushed to a hospital in Grenoble.