Michael Schumacher 'Could be Home for Christmas'

Michael Schumacher could be out of hospital by Christmas, according to a German media report.

The seven-time Formula One champion is currently undergoing rehabilitation at Lausanne hospital in Switzerland.

According to Focus, a German magazine, the racing legend's exit from hospital could come in December, meaning Schumacher could be with his family for Christmas.

But any prediction about how long Schumacher's recovery will take must be treated with a dose of scepticism, given the media blackout imposed by his family.

Also, Focus's claim about Schumacher, 45, being out of a rehabilitation centre in time for the first anniversary of his devastating ski crash, was made in the context of a much more cautious prognosis by a source.

They reportedly said "nobody" was prepared to say how long it would take for his language and motor skills to return, if at all. The source added Schumacher remained "dependent around the clock for help".

Wife Corinna Schumacher this week hailed her husband as "a fighter who will never give up" in a letter to a schoolboy in Omagh, northern Ireland.