Seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher sustained a head injury during a skiing accident in the French Alps on Sunday, according to multiple reports.

Schumacher fell hard on his head but was wearing a helmet while skiing at the Meribel ski resort and had a "relatively serious" head injury, according to France's Mountain Gendarmerie.

He was taken to a local hospital and then later transferred to a Grenoble hospital.

"Help responded quickly at 11:15 a.m. He was airlifted and taken to the hospital in Moutiers," resort director Christophe Gernignon-Lecomte told a CNN affiliate.

Gernigon-Lecomte also said Schumacher fell while backcountry skiing, according to France's RMC radio. However, the gendarmerie said he fell while skiing on a trail.

"He was shocked, a little rattled, but conscious," Gernigon-Lecomte said.

Schumacher, 44, retired from F-1 racing for a second time last year. He won 91 races over his 19-year career.