Ross Brawn has moved to clarify a comment he made about Michael Schumacher, in which he said the seven-time champio's recovery process had shown some "encouraging signs".
Brawn, who worked closely with Schumacher at Ferrari and Mercedes and still visits the 47-year-old, made it clear his comments weren't interpreted correctly.
"We go see him and hope and pray that one day he will make a recovery," Brawn told The Guardian newspaper.
"I was quoted as saying he’s improving and it was not what I really meant. The family are conducting his convalescence in private and I need to respect that.
"So I don’t want to comment on his condition beyond saying we’re extremely hopeful we’ll see Michael as we knew him at some point in the future."
Brawn also revealed that he learnt of the news from Schumacher's PA whilst travelling to Scotland and described it as a "shocking" moment.
"I was going up to Scotland for new year and his PA called. We cancelled our plans and went to see him," he added.
"It was terribly traumatic for the family – and shocking for us. Michael was such a strong character and all through his racing career he only suffered a broken leg. The irony of this happening during a quieter life was terrible."
