Damon Hill slams ‘disgusting’ bodyguard who tried to blackmail Michael Schumacher’s family | F1 | Sport

Damon Hill has slammed Michael Schumacher’s former bodyguard after an alleged blackmail attempt on the Formula One icon’s family. It is alleged that Markus Fritsche threatened to release files including photos and medical records after being dismissed from Schumacher’s inner circle.

German police are investigating Fritsche and two other men over threats that involved Corinna Schumacher being asked for £12m in return for sensitive files regarding her husband’s condition.

Reports of the alleged attempted blackmail have stunned the F1 community. Former British star Hill insists the Schumachers have suffered enough over their deeply personal tragedy.

“Is the Schumacher’s family tragedy not enough for some people? Jesus. Utterly disgusting. The lowest of the low,” Hill wrote on X.

Corinna has been fiercely protective over Schumacher’s privacy since he suffered life-altering injuries in a skiing accident 11 years ago. Fritsche had been recruited 18 months prior to the incident but it is reported that he was sacked earlier this year.

A deterioration in his relationship with the Schumacher family and a change to the ex-driver’s care plan prompted them to dismiss the 53-year-old, according to the Daily Mail. Reports claim that Fritsche was spurred on to extort the family in the aftermath of that decision.

He allegedly stole 1,500 secret files from the family home, ranging from photos and videos to elements of Schumacher’s medical records. German authorities say that he then recruited his long-term friend and bouncer Yilmaz Tozturkan.

Tozturkan’s son, IT expert Daniel Lins, is then said to have been brought on board, helping the group make contact with the Schumacher family. Emails containing proof that they had possession of the files were sent to Schumacher’s loved ones, prosecutors say.

The trio are accused of asking Corinna for £12m in return for the files. They threatened to sell the contents on the dark web, where it could then be shared into the public domain.

Fritsche was arrested by German police on July 4. Tozturkan and Lins were subsequently detained, although it is believed that Fritsche and Lins are out on bail.

Schumacher has not been seen in public since his skiing accident in December 2013. There are very few details of his condition known by the public.