Michael Schumacher's stepbrother Sebastian Stahl was booked onto the Germanwings flight that crashed into the French Alps, killing all 150 passengers.
The touring car racer was filming an advert for car manufacturer Seat in Barcelona, and his return to Germany was nearly delayed by 24 hours due to wet weather.
The rearrangement would have seen him fly on Tuesday's Germanwings flight.
"Yes, I am alive. It is crazy how many friends and people I have said that to in the last few hours," Stahl told reporters.
"I came back 24 hours early on the same Germanwings plane from Barcelona to Cologne."
It would have been the second disaster to hit the Schumacher family in the space of 14 months after Michael was put into a coma following a skiing accident. He has since exited the coma, but there is no further news regarding his health.
