Jean Todt has said that he is still friends with Michael Schumacher, even in the wake of the seven-time world champion's serious head injuries.
Little is known about the highly-confidential condition of Schumacher today, more than two years after he fell while skiing in the French Alps.
Todt, once the boss at Ferrari during the Schumacher reign and now FIA president, says that the sad fate of the 47-year-old German is still "difficult to comprehend".
"My relationship with him has changed of course, but I still have a relationship with him," he told Sport Bild. "I'm still his friend.
"And my relationship with Corinna and the family has become much more intense. I feel a responsibility to stand by them."
Schumacher's Formula 1 career began at Jordan in 1991.