Ralf Schumacher: Ex-F1 driver comes out as gay, who is his boyfriend as fans inundate racer with support

The German driver, 49, took to social media to confirm that he was in a relationship with another man, sharing an image with his arm around him. Now an entrepreneur and TV pundit, Schumacher is the younger brother of seven-time F1 world champion, Michael.

Now, Ralf has revealed that he is dating his business manager, who has been a close friend of his for more than seven years. Posting on social media, he said: “The most beautiful thing in life is when you have the right partner by your side with whom you can share everything.”

Schumacher’s new partner is called Etienne, who lives in Nice, France. Meanwhile Schumacher lives in Salzburg, Germany with his son - but the pair a reportedly together “quite often”. It is unknown exactly when the pair’s business relationship turned into a romantic one.

Commenting on Schumacher’s Instagram post, @carmengeiss said: “I love you both so much. You have the best partner, Etienne, you can imagine. After two years you can finally show your love to the world. I have known Ralf for more than 25 years and 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.

“I am happy that I got to be a part of this love and even more happy for the two who searched and found each other, because I also love Etienne deeply.”

@Racingpridehq said: “Thank you for this post. Love is love and love is beautiful,” and @Yvonneewerts added: “Congratulations - and the best love for the future.”

In his F1 career, Schumacher racked up six wins with 182 races under his belt, racing for the likes of Jordan, Williams and Toyota. He also tested for McLaren in 1996, having impressed the previous year in the infamous Macau Grand Prix. At the height of his powers in the early 2000s, Ralf would have to beat his dominant brother Michael to get on the top step of the podium.