Ex-F1 Driver Ralf Schumacher Comes Out In Heartfelt Instagram Post
Former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher has come out publicly in an Instagram post in which he declared his love for his partner, Etienne.
The 49-year-old six-time race-winning F1 driver – and brother of legendary world champion Michael Schumacher – retired from the sport in 2012 to mentor young drivers. He is now a commentator for Sky Sport in Germany.
The post, in Schumacher’s native German, says “The most beautiful thing in life is when you have the right partner by your side with whom you can share everything 🙏”.
View this post on Instagram
Not much is known of Schumacher’s partner, who is pictured on his personal Instagram traveling extensively, often to locations where Schumacher’s work takes him.
A recent Instagram Story post featured a photo of the couple on a hike with the caption “Über den Wolken”, which translates to “over the clouds”.
View this post on Instagram
A friend of the couple, Carmen Geiss said in a comment on Schumacher’s original post that after “2 years you can finally show your love to the world.“
Ralf Schumacher supported by family and friends
Schumacher’s post has many comments from well-wishers, both personal and professional.
This includes Ralf’s 20-year-old son, David Schumacher, whose first-place GT Masters podiums feature heavily on his proud father’s Instagram. David is Ralf’s only child from his marriage to Cora Schumacher, a German media personality and fellow racing driver.
Other well-wishers included German TV personality and friend for over two decades Carmen Geiss, who wrote in her own separate post in German that Ralf’s coming out was “an act of liberation and self-acceptance” and that it was “not only a personal triumph but a sign that he is finally able to live and love his true identity without fear or shame.”
Fellow F1 commentator Christian Hewgill posted on X “You can be LGBT+ and anything you want to be. Including a Formula 1 race winner. Congratulations Ralf Schumacher. Seeing someone I watched win races as a kid coming out feels huge.”
You can be LGBT+ and anything you want to be. Including a Formula 1 race winner.
Congratulations Ralf Schumacher. Seeing someone I watched win races as a kid coming out feels huge 🏳️🌈#F1 https://t.co/CAvtLnSev8
— Christian Hewgill (@ChrisHewgill) July 14, 2024
Racing with Pride
Schumacher joins a small handful of LGBTQI+ drivers, including:
- Mike Beuttler, who raced in F1 from 1971-1973 before retiring to America where he died from AIDS in 1988
- Le Mans driver Danny Watts, who came out a year before retiring in 2018
- co-founder of Racing Pride Richard Morris
- W Series driver Sarah Moore
- W Series driver Abbie Eaton
- Maria Grazia “Lella” Lombardi, who was the first woman to qualify for an F1 Grand Prix in 1958 and remains the only woman to ever score F1 points.
you also have Devon Rouse, Zach Herrin and Travis Shumake in the US currently