Schumacher has been treated privately at his family home in Geneva since his horrific accident in the French Alps, keeping the German winner of seven Formula One world championships between 1994 and 2004 inside.

Now 51, Schumacher is out of a coma and is said to enjoy watching races, potentially following the progress of his son, Mick, a rising Formula Two star.

"I saw Michael last week," said Todt, who was Team Principal when Schumacher won five concecutive championships with Ferrari from 2000, speaking to the Mail on Sunday.

"He is fighting. I hope the world will be able to see him again. That is what he and his family are working towards."

Earlier this year, an Italian neurosurgeon was quoted as saying that Schumacher was unrecognizable from the figure fans knew before the skiing disaster enforced his disappearance from public view.

He had been expected to receiving pioneering anti-inflammatory stem cell treatment in Paris last month, which is thought to have been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Todt said he "loved" his former star racer and would not be drawn on whether reigning champion Lewis Hamilton, who needs six Grand Prix wins and one title to equal Schumacher's record, would eclipse his standing in the sport.

"It is impossible to say who is the best ever," he argued.

"There is Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark, Ayrton Senna and Michael.

"You can only think in terms of who is the best in a certain generation.

"After an accident like the one Michael has had, does it matter whether Lewis has won more?"