F1 driver with "total support" for Ralf Schumacher
Fernando Alonso knows him from shared racing days. He, like others, praise Ralf Schumacher's step of making his relationship public. Nico Hülkenberg has a clear statement.
Ralf Schumacher is receiving a lot of support in Formula 1 after coming out publicly as gay on Instagram. "Total support from me, and I'm sure the same goes for the entire Formula 1 community," said the two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso from Spain at a press conference for the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring. "It's great that he feels good about himself and we're happy for him," added the 42-year-old pilot of the British Aston-Martin team.
Alonso also knows the 49-year-old Ralf Schumacher as a racing rival. He celebrated his greatest successes in motor racing's top class with the WM titles in 2005 and 2006, when Ralf Schumacher himself was still racing in Formula 1.
Ralf Schumacher as TV expert at the Hungaroring
Ralf Schumacher's brother, seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher, retired in 2007 after a total of 180 Grand Prix starts and six race wins. "It's fantastic," said Oscar Piastri about Ralf Schumacher's coming out. "We want our sport to be inclusive and for people to feel safe, even for a coming-out," added the 23-year-old Australian from McLaren.
Ralf Schumacher and his partner Étienne Bousquet-Cassagne have already shown their enthusiasm for the many positive reactions. "Ralf & Étienne are overwhelmed by the many wonderful, worldwide responses. That was really unexpected," explained a family spokesperson.
Nico Hülkenberg criticized negative comments in Budapest: "There's always hate in the world and especially online, where people are practically anonymous. That's not great." Ralf Schumacher will be in action again as an expert for the pay-TV broadcaster Sky at this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix. Hungary is considered a very conservative country when it comes to homosexuality. Since 2021, any public clarification about children regarding homosexuality and transsexuality has been banned.
Despite facing potential backlash in Hungary due to its conservativeness towards homosexuality, Ralf Schumacher's support within the Formula 1 community continues to be unwavering. Nico Hülkenberg, a fellow racer, voiced his disapproval of any negative comments, stating, "It's not great that there's always hate in the world, especially online where people are practically anonymous." Meanwhile, rumors of Ralf Schumacher's sexual orientation had circulated in the past, but it was Homosexuality only recently that Ralf Schumacher chose to make public in his Instagram post, earning praise from figures like two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso.
