Ralf Schumacher, Michael’s brother and former driver, comes out in a still very heterosexual paddock – Libération

The rainbow flag joins the checkered one. The brother of “Schumi”, who drove a Formula 1 car between 1997 and 2007, revealed his homosexuality in a message on Instagram on Sunday July 14. He is one of the first drivers to do so.

Two men pressed once morest each other, facing the sun that nestles in the ocean, with the caption: “The most beautiful thing in life is to have the right partner by your side, with whom you can share everything.” A pretty classic romantic message on Instagram, among millions of similar publications. Unless its author is a former Formula 1 driver and brother of one of the most famous of them. On Sunday evening, July 14, the German Ralf Schumacher made his homosexuality public. Since then, he has provoked many reactions on social networks – his publication peaks at this time more than 320,000 likes and 21,000 comments.

Although Ralf Schumacher does not have the track record of his seven-time world champion brother and is not the best known to the general public, the 49-year-old German still raced in the premier class of motorsport for ten years, from 1997 to 2007: 180 Grand Prix starts, 6 races won, 27 podiums.

The symbol of his coming out remains very strong in a sport known for being full of testosterone – although he is trying to restore his image, helped by a Netflix documentary series that borders on reality TV and has accumulated tens of millions of hours of viewing. Such positions are already very rare and difficult in the world of sport, they seem to be even more so in a motor sport that is still very masculine.

Before “Ralfie”, only Mike Beuttler, an English driver in the 70s, had – more or less – publicly revealed his homosexuality. Because if drivers and even team principals have no problem showing themselves with their partners on the paddock, gay couples seem completely absent from F1 screens.

F1 remains almost exclusively male: only two women have started a Grand Prix, none since Lella Lombardi in 1976. With the departure of Claire Williams in 2020, the roles of team principals are also monopolized by men.

In terms of appearances, there are “progresses” highlighted by the sport. Since 2018, women in skimpy outfits have been banned from the starting line, not in line with “the values ​​defended” by the new owner Liberty Media (it was regarding time). In June 2020, F1 launched “We Race As One” to promote diversity in the sport and denounce discrimination (racism, mainly, but also LGBTphobia), a slogan that was mentioned at the start of each Grand Prix and even emblazoned on FIA cars. But much less visible now – should we see a link with countries where certain races take place, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar or Hungary, which are not very aware of the “progressivism” that the sport would like to display?

Silence from other drivers

Big names have also spoken out regarding homophobia. We can think of Lewis Hamilton, seven-time world champion who has started to display LGBT colours on his helmet since the end of 2021. Or Sebastien Vettel, four-time German world champion and recent retiree from the paddock: “I think a gay Formula 1 driver would be welcome – and rightly so,” he said in the gay magazine «Attitude» in 2022. While admitting that “some members of the motoring community, if I can call them that, are nevertheless very slow – almost static – when it comes to progress.”

But for now, neither Vettel nor Hamilton have reacted. Ralf’s son, David, did congratulate his father in a comment to his publication; not his nephew, Mick Schumacher, F1 driver between 2021 and 2022 and participant of the 2024 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Silence on the grid.