Retired racing legend Michael Schumacher has had a major breakthrough as the German has regained the ability to recognize family members. In a report from Mail Online, former Formula One driver Philippe Streiff, a close family friend, shared that while Schumacher has yet to fully recover, he has shown significant progress in his recovery. As reported in The Telegraph, Schumacher is still unable to speak and has exhibited memory problems. "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," added Streiff.

Considered as one of the greatest race car drivers of all time, Schumacher was involved in a skiing accident in the French Alps in late December 2013. He sustained severe head injuries and was subsequently placed in a medically-induced coma. He started showing signs of progress in early 2014 as he regained consciousness, albeit only for brief moments.

Though Schumacher is progressing, head injuries are known to have long and complex recoveries. In a report from CNN, neurosurgeon Peter Hamlyn urged patience. "If you look at severe head injury victims who go on to make a good recovery -- and I'm not saying all do -- it will always be a story of years," he said. Fans of the racer continue to express their support on social media sites such as Twitter, utilizing the hastag #KeepFightingMichael as their rallying cry.

Schumacher is a seven-time champion in Formula One racing and is a record holder for the most championships won in the history of the sport. The majority of his career was spent with the Ferrari racing team, where he earned most of his accolades. He later joined team Mercedes after a short stint with retirement.