Three suspects are currently on trial in Germany over an alleged blackmail plot against the seven-time F1 world champion.

Michael Schumacher’s wife is said to have made a big decision as a trial into an alleged blackmail plot against her husband gets underway in Germany.

Three people are on trial in the German city of Wuppertal. They’re accused of trying to extort £12 million from the seven-time Formula 1 world champion.

Prosecutors say that Markus F, a former family security guard, stole 1,500 photos and 200 videos of Schumacher.

It’s also claimed that he and his co-accused, Yilmaz T and Daniel L, hatched a plan to threaten to release some pretty intimate images of the F1 icon to the dark web if they didn’t get their ransom fee.

It’s thought that Markus F could get up to 15 years in jail if he’s found guilty, although it could be less as the three men didn’t go through with their threats despite an email sent to the family showing proof of the stolen material.

Given the nature of the trial, Schumacher’s family are said to be concerned that his health condition will be discussed.

The German media is covering the trial, but his wife Corinna has filed a unique motion with the court.

BILD says she wants to ‘exclude the public from the trial’ to prevent the publication of information about his current condition.

Schumacher has been on the mend in private after suffering a nasty head injury while skiing in the French Alps in December 2013.

Since his accident, a few of Schumacher’s closest friends and colleagues, including Jean Todt, Ferrari’s team principal, have seen him.

Mick, his son, joined Haas in Formula 1 in 2021 but was replaced ahead of the 2023 season.

He was a reserve driver for the Mercedes team but left that role last month. He now competes with Alpine in the World Endurance Championship.

Mick recently spoke to Matt Whyman for his new book, Inside Mercedes F1, about how his father influenced him during his early racing years and how that changed after his accident.

He said, “I started racing in the Formula classes the year after, so from then on, I had to figure things out independently.

“But I picked up a lot of technical tips from him that I still use today, as well as from his coaching. “And I’ve always been pretty resilient.”

He was thought to be joining Williams for the second half of the 2024 season to replace Logan Sargeant, but Franco Colapinto was chosen instead.

Team principal James Vowles caused a stir when he said Schumacher wasn’t a special driver. He later apologized to the family for the remark.