Formula One legend Michael Schumacher remains stable after spending a third night in hospital with severe brain injuries sustained while skiing in the French Alps.
The German racing great entered the new year on Wednesday in an induced coma and in critical condition, with his family at his bedside in the French Alpine city of Grenoble and doctors unsure of his future.
The 44-year-old's fight for survival after he fell and slammed his head on a rock while off-piste skiing on Sunday has shocked legions of sports stars and fans used to seeing him brave death on the racing tracks.
"At the moment, he is stable," the seven-time world champion's manager Sabine Kehm told reporters outside the hospital.
After the accident in the upmarket resort of Meribel, Schumacher's condition rapidly deteriorated and by Sunday evening, doctors said he had undergone an emergency operation.
On Tuesday, they said a slight improvement in his condition had allowed them to perform a second nearly two-hour procedure to stop bleeding in the brain.
"We cannot speculate on the future," said Jean-Francois Payen, head of the intensive care unit at the hospital. "We cannot say he is out of danger but we have gained some time."
Doctors ruled out any transfer from the hospital, which they say would be dangerous.
But they have pointed out that Schumacher, due to turn 45 on January 3, has age and physical fitness on his side.
It is unclear how the accident happened, but a source told AFP Schumacher's helmet, which medics say saved his life, had been smashed in two by the impact.
Kehm said Schumacher was not skiing at high speed when the accident happened. "He seems to have hit a rock as he took a turn. It was a chain of unfortunate circumstances."
Schumacher's condition has attracted attention from around the world and several people have tried to sneak through the hospital and approach the former racer, she said.
"There apparently was a person dressed up as a priest, who tried to get near Michael. I am asking everyone to let the doctors work and leave the family to spend peaceful time with Michael."
Asked whether the person dressed as a priest was a journalist, she said: "It's what I was told ... We have clearly noted that people are trying to get beyond the press room here in the clinic. It's revolting, in my opinion."
Schumacher, who won the last of his world titles in 2004, towered over the sport since his debut in 1991, winning more Formula One world titles and races than any other.
He had a record 91 wins and is one of only two men to race in 300 grands prix.
Born in 1969 near Cologne, Germany, his father ran a local go-kart track where his mother worked in the canteen.
By 1987, Schumacher was the German and European go-kart champion and was soon racing professionally. In 1991 he burst into Formula One by qualifying seventh in his debut race in Belgium and a year later, he won his first Formula One grand prix.
