ARCHIVED - F1 legend Michael Schumacher and family plan new life in Mallorca, Spain

The former racing driver's wife has bought a 2.8-million villa plot in Port Andratx, Mallorca

German F1 legend Michael Schumacher and his family are planning a new life in Mallorca, Spain nine years after he suffered catastrophic brain injuries skiing in the French Alps.

The horrific life-changing accident happened whilst crossing an off-piste area in the slopes above the ski resort of Meribel soon after he decided to retire from an incredible career which saw him win seven World Drivers' Championship titles and 91 Grand Prix.

The racing star is currently being cared for at his 7.5-million-euro mansion on Lake Geneva in Switzerland and his condition remains a mystery.

But his wife Corinne, 53, has reportedly purchased a 54,000 m2 estate in Port Andratx for 2.8 million which it's rumoured will be used as a winter home.

According to the German magazine Die Bunte and local Spanish media, the huge plot will be used as a horse ranch as Corinna and the couple's daughter Gina-Marie, 25, are keen equestrians.

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The family have horses in Texas and Switzerland, some of which are expected to be transported to Mallorca.

“The idea is that the family will increase their number of trips together to the island, especially in winter," added the press reports.

Corinna said recently: "I miss Michael every day. But it's not just me who misses him. All of us around him. But Michael is here. Different, but he's here, and I think that gives us strength."

In a Netflix documentary about his life, neurologist Erich Riederer talked about how the driver is doing. "I think he's in a vegetative state, which means he's awake but unresponsive," he said.

Few people have access to the seven-time world champion. The son of Enzo Ferrari, founder of the Italian team, Piero Ferrari, said after seeing him last year that "Michael Schumacher is not dead, he is there but he cannot communicate".

According to The Sun, the legend has visited the island by helicopter to view the land on which the family home will be built, which is close to the 32-million-euro mansion the Schumachers reportedly bought from Real Madrid president Florentino Perez in 2017.

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Image: Twitter/@ScuderiaFerrari