Michael Schumacher could be in a coma for the rest of his life, according to medical experts.
German news magazine Focus reported "Schumacher could be in a coma forever" after consulting experts on his condition.
The Formula 1 legend remains in a critical, yet stable condition at a Grenoble hospital after he hit his head on a rock while skiing in the French alps on 29 December.
Schumacher, who turned 45 on earlier this month, has also had an operation to remove a small part of his skull in a bid to relieve pressure on his brain. While in a coma, oxygen to the brain is reduced, and it therefore works less.
Michael Schumacher
Dr Richard Greenwood, an acute brain injury specialist at the University College London Hospital, said the German may have to adjust to a very different life.
"If Schumacher survives, he will not be Schumacher," Greenwood said in the Times.
"He will be [Joe] Bloggs. His rehabilitation will only be effective if he comes to terms with being Bloggs.
"That is a very, very hard process to take people through. They need to come to terms with their limitations — the fact they have changed."