“It doesn’t matter what color your skin is, it doesn’t matter your origin, it doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter who you fall in love with. In the end, you just want equality. Treatment for everyone has the same right to love, “ said Sebastian Vettel a few years ago, who defended the rights and freedoms of the LGBTQ+ community in his last years in F1 and said “F1 is ready to have a gay driver”, giving his opinion on the prejudices that can still exist in the paddock about the LGBTQ+ community and defending its values. Along with Lewis Hamilton, he was responsible for defending the rights of this community by wearing the colors of the rainbow flag on his helmet. But to continue moving forward, the next step is missing: for a current F1 driver to declare his homosexuality.
No one on the current grid has done this, but a very famous former driver like Ralf Schumacher, brother of the legendary Michael Schumacher.
“The best thing in life is to have the right partner by your side with whom you can share everything,” wrote Ralf Schumacher in a publication on Instagram, introducing his girlfriend to his fans on said social network and accompanying this publication with various ‘stories’ with pictures of his partner, Etienne. In this way, the 49-year-old German is the first driver to pass through F1 in the 21st century to declare his homosexuality, an important example for future generations and for the defense of freedom.
In F1’s past, there have been well-known cases of Mário ‘Nicha’ by Araújo Cabral, who competed in 4 Grand Prix from 1959 to 1964, Lella Lombardione of five women to drive in Formula 1, an LGTBI+ icon in motor racing and the only woman to score points in Formula 1, and Mike Beutlerwhich he drove in F1 from 1971 to 1973. However, Beutller had to live a hidden reality as he could not reveal his sexual orientation as he considered that the racing world, at that time, was not ready to accept his true identity.
Ralf, who was an F1 driver from 1997 to 2007 in teams such as Jordan, BMW-Williams and Toyota, won 6 F1 Grand Prix and author of 6 pole positions, 27 podiums and 8 fastest laps, He was married to television presenter Cora Brinkmann from 2001 to 2015.where the relationship was born his son David, also a pilot. And now, she decided to take a step forward to show the world her relationship with Etienne, a relationship they had for several years.
Thousands of messages in networks
Quickly, the former pilot’s publication surpassed the 200,000 likes, receiving applause from thousands of fans and congratulations for the news and for the important step Ralf took to make their relationship official, setting a good example for many other athletes in the world of motorsport in the future.
The message from his son David
“I am very happy that you have finally found someone with whom you really feel very comfortable and safe, whether it is a boy or a girl, I support you 100% dad and I wish you all the best. Congratulations”wrote his son David Schumacher in said publication.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
