Michael Schumacher injured in skiing accident in France

Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher has suffered a head injury while skiing in Meribel, France.

The German, 44, who retired from F1 for a second time in 2012, was taken by helicopter to hospital in Moutiers before being moved to Grenoble.

Schumacher was skiing with his 14-year-old son and others in an off-piste area between two marked runs above Meribel when he fell on Sunday morning.

He is being examined in hospital, with his wife and two children also present.

Christophe Gernignon-Lecomte, director of the Meribel resort, said Schumacher "was a little shaken but conscious" after crashing.

Speaking to Radio Monte Carlo Sport, Gernignon-Lecomte added: "He was wearing a helmet and banged [his head] against a rock."

Schumacher was attended to by two ski patrollers who requested helicopter evacuation to the nearby valley town of Moutiers, before he was subsequently moved to a bigger facility at Grenoble.

The German is receiving the attention of Professor Gerard Saillant, a close ally and friend of Schumacher and his former Ferrari team boss Jean Todt.

Saillant is an expert in brain and spine injury. He oversaw Schumacher's medical care when the German broke his leg in the 1999 British GP.

Schumacher's spokeswoman Sabine Kehm said in a statement: "We ask for understanding that we cannot give out continuous information about his health.

"He was wearing a helmet and was not alone. No-one else was involved in the fall."

Schumacher won seven world championships and secured 91 race victories during a 19-year career in Formula 1.

He won two titles with Benetton, in 1994 and 1995, before switching to Ferrari in 1996 and going on to win five straight titles from 2000.

The German retired in 2006,, external but returned in 2010 with Mercedes., external After three seasons which yielded just one podium finish, he quit the sport at the end of 2012.