Formula One champion Michael Schumacher was conscious and had his eyes open during his top-secret transfer from a French hospital to a facility in Switzerland, Swiss newspaper Blick reported.
File picture shows Michael Schumacher prior to qualifying at the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka circuit on October 9, 2010
Schumacher was moved on Monday after emerging from a coma following a devastating ski accident in December.
The paper said he had his eyes open for most of the journey by private ambulance, which was conducted like a secret service operation.
Schumacher did not speak, but communicated by nodding his head during the 200-kilometre (125-mile) journey, the paper said.
The ambulance company was not told the identity of its world-famous passenger in advance, and staff had to give up their mobile phones when they came into contact with him.
The paper said Schumacher had lost a lot of weight during his 170 days in hospital in the French city of Grenoble.
The seven-time world champion's spokeswoman Sabine Kehm on Monday thanked the doctors in Grenoble" and asked for "understanding that his further rehabilitation will take place away from the public eye".
The hospital where Schumacher is now being treated -- near where his wife Corinna and two children live -- is one of Switzerland's top facilities.
The University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV) combines state-of-the-art neuroscience research and specialist care for brain injuries.
Its interdisciplinary department is led by Professor Richard Frackowiak, a brain-imaging expert and former dean of the Institute of Neurology of University College London.
The department's research centre is a key part of the Human Brain Project, a Europe-wide programme that aims to create a super-computer model of the brain to chart paths in neurological research.
"This project is something that adds to our knowledge and enables us to make good choices for who should deal with the clinical issues of our patients," Frackowiak told AFP.
The CHUV, which often cares for VIP patients, has set aside a special area for Schumacher but has otherwise kept details of his care under wraps.
But apart from that, it's business as usual, said Frackowiak.
"It's not a question of treating a man who had a fall in his workshop any differently from someone who is known around the globe," he said.
"Each patient is treated according to the best of our abilities and the best of our thinking."
The CHUV's specialists have also developed special treatment methods for comatose patients, such as stimulation for all five senses, mobility and brain activity.
Robots are used to put patients in an upright position and help move their limbs, reducing the impact of being bed-ridden, while those emerging from a coma have access to a therapeutic garden in the heart of the hospital.