"I am 100% behind you dad" - Ralf Schumacher's son David Schumacher's message to his father
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher's son, David Schumacher, recently wrote a heartwarming comment on his father's Instagram post where the former revealed that he was gay. David showed full support for his father and expressed his happiness.
On July 14, the six-time F1 race winner posted a picture with his male partner on his official Instagram. They were on a party yacht and had their backs to the camera and were enjoying a sunset.
The caption was in German and was translated to:
"The most beautiful thing in life is when you have the right partner by your side with whom you can share everything," Ralf Schumacher wrote.
Ralf Schumacher's partner's name is Etienne, who also reposted the picture on his own Instagram stories, revealing his relationship with the former F1 driver. The comment section of the picture was filled with wholesome comments from the motorsport community.
David Schumacher, Ralf's son, also wrote a heart-melting message to his father. He mentioned that he was extremely happy for his father to have found someone he felt comfortable with. He added that he would stand behind him no matter what.
"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," David commented.
David Schumacher started his racing career by driving karts alongside his cousin, Mick Schumacher, who is the son of Michael Schumacher. David later went into F4 and F3 championships before moving into GT racing. He currently competes in ADAC GT Masters.
The story of the first gay F1 driver in the sport before Ralf Schumacher
Though Ralf Schumacher recently came out of the closet, he is reportedly only the second gay F1 driver. Before him, there was a racer named Mike Beuttler, frequently referred to as the first openly gay racing driver in F1.
Beuttler started his racing career by participating in F3 in the late 1960s. He quickly climbed the Formula ladder and entered F1 in 1971 with March.
He only raced in 29 Grand Prix in three years, in which he frequently retired from races due to several issues. He did not score any points during his tenure as an F1 driver. After the 1973 oil crisis, he had to retire from racing as a whole.
During his F1 career, some people around him knew that he was gay. Many who have worked in the world of motorsport, like Aston Martin's chief communication officer Matt Bishop and Beuttler's friend Ian Phillips, knew that the F1 driver used to bring his girlfriend, Anne Ries de Loen, to races as a disguise and keep media attention off him.
After he left the sport, Mike Beuttler was no longer in the limelight. Hence, not a lot of information is known about the British driver. Long after his racing career was over, he died from AIDS in 1988 in Los Angeles. He was 48 years old when he lost his life.