Former F1 Driver Ralf Schumacher Comes Out as Gay in Touching Update

Former Formula One driver Ralf Schumacher came out as gay in a touching post on social media.

Schumacher, 49 — a grand prix winner who comes from a family of F1 drivers, including older brother Michael Schumacher and stepbrother Sebastian Stahl — shared that he was in a relationship on Instagram on Sunday, July 14.

The driver's post included a photo of himself and another man, Etienne, with their arms around one another as they watched the sunset over the ocean. "The most beautiful thing in life is when you have the right partner by your side with whom you can share everything," Schumacher wrote in the caption, which was translated from German into English.

Schumacher's post was met with an outpour of support from friends and family, including his son, racer David Schumacher, 22. "I am very happy that you have finally found someone with whom you really feel that you feel very comfortable and secure, no matter if you are a man or a woman, I am 100% behind you dad and wish you all the best and congratulations," he wrote in the comments of his father's post.

According to CNN, Schumacher was previously married to David's mother, Cora Brinkmann.

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A close friend of the couple, Carmen Geiss, also penned a thoughtful message in the comments of Schumacher's post. Translated from German, Geiss said, "I LOVE YOU BOTH SO MUCH. You have the best partner, Etienne, you can imagine. After 2 years you can finally show your love to the world."

Geiss said she has known Schumacher "for more than 25 years" and added, "He has always been a great joy to me. always liberal, a good-hearted person who I can call day and night and above all has always been honest with me in his position."

In a second Instagram post shared on Monday, July 15, Schumacher thanked everyone for their support. "Many thanks for the many congratulations and comments. We are very happy and thank you all," he captioned a photo of him posing with Etienne.

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According to CNN, Schumacher is just the second known male Formula One driver to come out as gay. The first was Briton Mike Beuttler, who raced between 1971 and 1973. Beuttler died in 1988, per CNN.

Schumacher raced for 11 years and won multiple grands prix before retiring from motorsports in 2012.