Michael Schumacher in critical condition after skiing accident

Sebastian Vettel is proving to be a worthy successor to fellow German driver Michael Schumacher (right) as the biggest star in Formula One.

(CNN) -- Michael Schumacher, the most successful driver in Formula One history, is recovering in hospital after suffering a head injury while skiing in the Alps on Sunday, according to French media reports.

The 44-year-old German, who retired from the elite motorsport for the second and final time in 2012, fell and hit his head on a rock, said the director of the Meribel resort where Schumacher was skiing.

'He was airlifted and taken to hospital in Moutiers,' Christophe Gernignon-Lecomte told CNN affiliate BFM TV.

'He was shocked, a little shaken but conscious. It may be a head injury but it is not very serious.'

Mentoring Vettel and Schumacher

Gernignon-Lecomte said the incident happened just after 11 a.m. local time (1200 GMT) and Schumacher received help just minutes later.

Schumacher made his F1 debut in 1991, and had won a record seven world titles by the time of his first retirement in 2006 -- five of those with Ferrari.

He returned to the track with the revived Mercedes team in 2010, but struggled to repeat his earlier glories.

His best finish was third place at last year's European Grand Prix in Valencia, his only podium position in three seasons with the German manufacturer.