Schumacher says being gay is 'not a big deal'

Jul.16 (GMM) Now that he has ‘come out’, former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher says he won’t be making a big deal about his sexuality.

Being openly gay is still somewhat taboo in male-dominated sports like F1, but the 49-year-old revealed on Instagram this week that he is in a same-sex relationship.

He told the German broadcaster Sport1 the day after: “It was not news for family and close friends, they had known about it for a long time.

“But a lot of people were involved by now. That’s why I wanted to get the news out myself,” added the younger brother of Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher.

Ralf’s 22-year-old son David said he fully supports his father’s lifestyle.

Ralf said: “My son repeated his victory in the GT Masters the day before, which was the greatest success of his motorsport career so far. I thought this would be a good occasion for it.”

As for what comes next for Schumacher, who still works in Formula 1 as a pundit for German television Sky, he answered: “I’m just letting things come to me. It’s not a big deal for me.

“I just did what I thought was right. But I’ve received a consistently positive response for something that’s normal for me.”

One of those offering Ralf his support was Mercedes CEO Ola Kallenius, who sent the 6-time grand prix winner a message.

Ralf, though, says he would like his private life to now subside from the headlines.

“Let’s see what happens next,” said the German. “I will travel to Budapest now and, as always, will be highly motivated to do my job as an expert at the Hungarian GP. I hope that my expertise will be the focus, not my outing.”

The entire Schumacher family is notably private, especially Ralf’s brother Michael who hasn’t been seen or heard from publicly since his 2013 skiing accident.

A spokesman for Ralf’s family told DPA news agency: “For the family, privacy is the highest priority. Neither his partner Etienne, nor Ralf or his son David will comment further beyond what has been said.

“We ask that everyone continue to respect their privacy. Ralf and Etienne are overwhelmed by the many great, worldwide responses. Nobody really expected that.”