Doctors treating Michael Schumacher said on Monday they were fighting "hour by hour" to save the former Formula One driver's life after he cracked his head on a rock during an off-piste skiing accident in the French Alps. Dr Jean-Francois Payen, the chief anaesthesiologist at the Grenoble hospital treating Schumacher, said the next 48 hours would be crucial.

A brain scan revealed internal bleeding and multiple lesions. "He is in a critical condition ' His condition is deemed very serious," Payen told a news conference. "For the moment, we cannot predict the future for Michael Schumacher."

The seven-times Formula One champion was airlifted to Grenoble on Sunday after falling heavily and hitting his head while skiing on an unmarked slope at the chic resort of Mribel.

It soon emerged that the accident, initially played down by a spokesman for the resort, had a devastating impact on Schumacher, who was in a coma by the time he arrived at Grenoble.

"He is in a critical state of cerebral resuscitation," said Payen. "We are working hour by hour." Doctors said his ongoing treatment was aimed at oxygenating the brain and stopping the swelling. On Monday night, Schumacher, due to turn 45 on Friday, remained in a medically induced coma designed to help his recovery.

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