Schumacher calls his coming out "pure selfishness"
On the evening of the Euro Cup final, Ralf Schumacher publicly declares his love for his partner. In a podcast, the former Formula 1 driver speaks for the first time about his coming out. His message is clear: "I want to stand for nothing."
Ralf Schumacher has spoken at length in a podcast about his coming out about two weeks ago and the reactions it has received. "Honestly, I didn't expect it, not that it would interest so many people, and that it would be talked about so much in public," said the former Formula 1 driver in the format "Hardenacke meets". "And I thought I'd be a bit out of the spotlight," added the 49-year-old.
Schumacher had made his love for his partner Étienne public on Instagram on the evening of the Euro Cup final. This caused a lot of attention and drew overwhelmingly positive reactions.
In a conversation with his Sky colleague Peter Hardenacke, Schumacher particularly highlighted the positive reactions from the Formula 1 community. "I also found it nice to see how it worked out in Formula 1," said the former racing driver. "The response from the team bosses, drivers, and so on" was "already very nice to see" for him.
"I want to stand for nothing"
However, when asked if he wanted to convey a further message with his coming out, Schumacher replied with a clear no: "I also don't want to stand for anything, but it's just about Étienne and me, and that it's clear and explicit who the partner by my side is," he continued. With his coming out, he wanted to be able to "also live normally - in Formula 1 and with all the people I meet."
Schumacher had spoken out again on Instagram the day after his coming out, thanking everyone for the public support. "Thank you for the many congratulations and comments. We are very happy and thank you all," he wrote at the time, accompanied by a picture of him arm in arm with his partner. The following weekend, Étienne accompanied him to the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Schumacher carried out his job as a Sky expert. There, the two appeared together in public for the first time as a couple.
Ralf Schumacher expressed his gratitude for the positive reactions to his coming out in the Formula 1 community, stating that it was "already very nice to see" the supportive response from team bosses, drivers, and others. Despite this, Schumacher made it clear that he does not wish to stand for anything more than his love for his partner Étienne and the desire to live his life openly and normally, both in Formula 1 and among his acquaintances.
In the midst of the Euro Cup final, Schumacher publicly announced his love for Étienne on Instagram, which subsequently garnered a great deal of attention and admiration from fans and the public. This high-profile declaration of their relationship marked the first time the two had appeared together as a couple in a public setting, such as during the Hungarian Grand Prix where Schumacher was working as a Sky expert.
