Ralf Schumacher is the highest-profile Formula One driver to come out. It's a watershed moment but proves that European sports still has a big diversity problem. This week, former Formula One driver Ralf Schumacher came out via an Instagram post depicting him and his partner Étienne.
Schumacher is the highest-profile athlete from the high-octane sport to publicly come out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, marking a significant breakthrough for motorsport. In his career, the 49-year-old German driver notched up six wins and 27 podiums over a career spanning 180 races between 1997 and 2007. He is also one of a few Formula One drivers who participated in the sport alongside a sibling, spending his time on the grid competing with the seven-time world champion Michael.
On Sunday, Schumacher posted to Instagram a picture of him and Étienne 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.” Since the post, the former racing driver has faced a deluge of positive posts and comments, congratulating him on publicly coming out. He’s not the first Formula One driver to identify as LGBTQ+.
Mike Beuttler is often referred to as the first “openly gay male F1 driver”; Lella Lombardi is the sport’s most successful female driver and had a same-sex relationship; and Mário de Araújo Cabral came out as bisexual late in his life. However, Schumacher is by far the most high-profile member of .