Ralf Schumacher, who won six Grands Prix races during a 10-year career in Formula 1, has come out publicly as gay via an Instagram post with who we believe is his boyfriend.
The 49-year-old German shared an image on the social media platform Sunday showing him with his arm around another man with the caption: “The most beautiful thing in life is when you have the right partner by your side with whom you can share everything.”
Schumacher, who drove for the Jordan, Williams and Toyota teams between 1997 and 2007 and who is the younger brother of seven-time world champion Michael, was previously married to Cora-Caroline Brinkmann. They have a son, David, born in 2001.
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Schumacher was divorced from Brinkmann in 2015 after a period of separation. In recent years, he has worked as a driver mentor and co-commentator for Sky Sports in Germany.
His partner’s name is Etienne; he shared Schumacher’s post to his own Insta story with a love heart symbol. From Instagram posts, it’s clear the two were together in Monaco at the Monaco Grand Prix in May. In one post, Etienne is wearing a Monaco GP VIP Guest badge.
Meanwhile, in a comment on Schumacher’s post, German reality TV star Carmen Geiss wrote: “You have the best partner Etienne that one can only imagine. After 2 years, you can finally show your love to the world.”
In a post on her own account, Geiss shared an image of herself being embraced by the two men and wrote: “Today, he [Schumacher] made known his homosexuality. This step was an act of liberation and self-acceptance for him. It was a courageous decision that has matured in him for a long time… he is now full of pride and confidence. His outing is not only a personal triumph but a sign that he is finally able to live and love his true identity without fear or shame.”
Schumacher is only the second male F1 driver known to be gay. The first was Mike Beuttler, who raced in 29 Grands Prix from 1971 to 1973 and who died of complications from AIDS in Los Angeles in 1988, aged just 48.
