This column originally appeared in the July, 2016 issue of Road & Track.

IT'S BIRDLIKE. A long, drooping nose and light enough to be pushed around by a child. With the engine off and the car's tiny power-steering rack asleep, the wheel is liquid—you can turn it with a finger, this surreal combination of fluidity and heft. The only way I can describe the sensation is to compare it with what happens when you crack an egg into a mixing bowl and you accidentally drop a small piece of eggshell into the white. You know the slippery friction of the white between your fingers when you're trying to pick up the shell? That's the parked steering feel of a 16-year-old Ferrari Formula 1 car.

How often do you get to discuss something like that? Even at this magazine, it's a rare privilege. Last year, shortly after the second anniversary of the 2013 skiing accident that nearly killed Michael Schumacher, we arranged to photograph one of the man's championship F1 cars. It was a kind of pilgrimage, a quiet homage to an individual who has spent the last two and a half years fighting for his life. I was lucky enough to sit in the car, wedging my hips into its tub in the owner's garage. Maybe it was the color—acres of Rosso Scuderia—and history playing tricks with my head, but I've never felt anything like that wheel.

Schumacher had, of course. The most revolutionary driver of the last two decades spent the red-hot core of his career in a Ferrari. The Italian marque wasn't Schumacher's first F1 drive, but it was the one that mattered. Everyone knows the plot: The German lifted the Scuderia from a laughably uncompetitive era, rebuilt its people—Jackie Stewart once labeled this Schumacher's greatest skill—and redefined racing dominance. From 1994 to 2004, Schumacher became world champion a record seven times. Five of those were with the Prancing Horse and consecutive. He still holds records for F1 poles, wins in a season, and wins in a career. He was criticized for being cold in public, but he turned car feel and team building into war-hammer science, solved the motorsport equation more completely than anyone ever had.

Our photo car helped Schumacher take his third F1 title, and his first for Ferrari. Like all modern open-wheelers, it's most interesting from the rear, where the air exits, math gone organic. The various intersecting lines and shapes make staring into the gearbox like looking up the skirt of a giant squid. Any 2016 F1 car will look similar without a degree in aerodynamics, but the Ferrari's rear wing says "Marlboro" in letters visible from space. Tobacco advertising, that motor sport lifeblood, banned since 2006....

Michael Schumacher’s family has launched what it labels a non-profit initiative under the banner of ‘Keep Fighting.’

Although no details have been given over what projects will be pursued, Michael’s wife Corinna said: “We would like to encourage others to never give up.”

A statement from Schumacher’s office explained the background: “Keep Fighting seeks to channel the positive energy received by the seven times Formula One world champion and his family as a force for good in the world.”

It adds that the new initiative “is celebrating the attitudes of ‘Keep Fighting’ and ‘Never Give Up,’ which are directly inspired by Michael Schumacher. The initiative plans to harness through its own projects, the power of a Keep Fighting community which is inspired by those attitudes.”

“This is a first step of a movement which we hope can do good in the future,” said Sabine Kehm, managing director The MS Office. “The intention of the Keep Fighting Initiative is to spread the belief that giving up is not an option, a message that is valid not only in motor racing. In this way we hope to turn a terrible event, which affects the whole Schumacher family, into something positive.

“We wanted to send a sign of encouragement at a time where people are open to it. The Keep Fighting Initiative is about courage, hope and belief in your own confidence. It is about giving back positive energy that the Schumacher family has received by so many wonderful people in the whole world. It is about a spirit which we wanted to be noticed, and I am happy to admit we wanted to take advantage of the attention which we expected in these days, given we believe it is for a good cause.”

Meanwhile, Kehm made it clear that no more information about Schumacher’s health will be forthcoming.

“Michael’s health is not a public issue, and so we will continue to make no comment in that regard. This is also because we have to protect his intimate sphere. Legally seen and in the longer term, every statement related to his health would diminish the extent of his intimate sphere.

“We are aware that this may be difficult for some people to understand but we do this with full commitment to Michael’s guidelines and can only thank people for their understanding.

“Michael has always been very protective of his privacy, even during the most successful times of his career. He has always made sure there is a clear and distinct line between his public persona and his private one. We are now celebrating the loyalty of the fans by a range of initiatives, including exhibitions, social media and now Keep Fighting. Most of the fans have expressed their appreciation and have embraced these initiatives.”

More information can be found at the following:

www.keepfighting.ms

https://www.facebook.com/keepfighting/

https://twitter.com/schumacher

https://www.instagram.com/michaelschumacher/

Seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher is not in good condition. He still relies on a ventilator and his weight has dropped to less than 45 kilograms, said Fernando Alonso to Spanish news agency Diario Gol.

Schumacher fell from a hillside and hit his head when he was skiing in the Alps in France on December 29, 2013. The accident led to a traumatic brain injury which resulted with doctors placing the German racing car driver in a medically induced coma for six months. On December 9, 2014, he returned home where he continued to receive medical treatment and private rehabilitation.

In January, Schumacher turned 49 years old in bed. The outside world has not heard much or anything specific about his recovery since the accident due to his family insisting on privacy. Alonso said that privacy may become even tighter in the future.

In order to bring her husband back, Corinna Schumacher has hired a 15-person medical team to look after Michael around the clock. The huge cost has forced her to sell their villa and private jet. So far Corinna has spent over 18 million US dollars on medical services. Even now, it is costing around 100,000 US dollars every month for ongoing treatment, according to Alonso.

Schumacher is regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time. He is the only driver in history to win seven F1 World Championships, five of which were gained consecutively. He also holds the record for 91 Grand Prix wins, the 77 fastest laps and for 13 races won in a single season.

Jean Todt wants the world to leave Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher alone.

The condition of the seven-time F1 world champion is basically unknown, after he sustained brain injuries in skiiing accident in the French Alps in December, 2013.

FIA president Todt, who was Schumacher's Ferrari team boss and is still a close family friend, told the Argentine daily La Nacion: "He is surrounded by his family and relatives.

"I feel blessed to have frequent access, but his health is a private matter and I think it's time for us to let Michael live his life in peace. I repeat, it's time for us to let Michael live his life in peace."