Updated

Michael Schumacher's wife says the racing legend's family wants to be left in peace as doctors treat him after a brutal ski crash.

Corinne Schumacher spoke out Tuesday for the first time since her husband's Dec. 29 accident in the French Alps. In a statement, she said: "It's very important to me that you ease the burden on the doctors and the hospital so that they can do their work in peace."

She asked the international media who have gathered at the hospital in Grenoble to leave. "Please also leave our family alone."

The 45-year-old Schumacher has been in a medically induced coma since last week, after he hit his head on a rock.

Schumacher, who retired from Formula One in 2012, is the most successful F1 driver in history.