Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso express their support for Ralf Schumacher for coming out as gay

Fernando Alonso and Lando Norris claimed that they were happy for Ralf Schumacher after he came out in public about his sexuality. The German driver posted a picture on his social media with his partner Etienne last week and received a lot of positive reactions and support from the F1 community.

The former driver turned F1 pundit has raced for teams like Williams, Jordan, and Toyota during his ten-year stint at the pinnacle of motorsport from 1997 to 2007 which saw him win six times and claim six pole positions.

Ralf, the brother of former seven-time world champion, Michael Schumacher, has reportedly been dating the Frenchman for the last two years. The pair met when Etienne started managing the 49-year-old.

As per BBC, McLaren driver Lando Norris mentioned that Ralf Schumacher coming out to the public about his sexuality was also a 'good thing' for the sport as it promoted inclusivity and mental health. He said:

"It's a good thing. From an inclusivity and diversity point of view, F1, McLaren, we have pushed for it a lot over the last three or four years especially, the whole world kind of moved in that direction. And whether it's this or talking about mental health, you just want people to live their life and be happy and not feel like they are going to get judged, so I'm very happy for him."

Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso too, was supportive of Schumacher, and said in the pre-race press conference:

"Total support from my side and I'm sure all the F1 community. And yeah, it's great that he feels good and we all feel good for him as well," Alonso said.

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Nico Hulkenberg and Oscar Piastri give their take on Ralf Schumacher coming out as gay

Haas F1 driver Nico Hulkenberg, while stating that it was a personal matter for Ralf Schumacher, nonetheless congratulated his fellow German for the courageous step. Speaking to the media on Thursday before the Hungarian GP, Hulkenberg said that it was a great indicator of diversity and inclusivity in modern times,

"Obviously, it's a very personal matter, but I congratulate that. And if he's coming out with that, there's nothing wrong with that in modern times where diversity and everything is all to play for."

Oscar Piastri said he was happy for Ralf Schumacher and encouraged inclusivity within the sport.

"Yeah, I mean, I think it's great that he feels comfortable in coming out like that. That's what we want as a sport, to be inclusive for everybody and have people feel safe in coming out or whatever is in their lives," he said.

Ralf Schumacher was previously married to Cora Brinkmann from 2001 to 2015 and shares a son, David, who is a former F3 driver. David Schumacher was extremely supportive of his father after Ralf revealed his sexual orientation through an Instagram post.