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Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher recently revealed that he was in a same-sex relationship with his general manager Etienne. The German driver raced at the pinnacle of motorsport from 1997 to 2007 and is the younger brother of legendary seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.
In his 10-year F1 career, the 49-year-old won six races and claimed six pole positions along with 27 podiums while racing for teams such as Jordan, Williams, and Toyota. After retiring from the sport, Schumacher became an F1 pundit and currently works for Sky Germany.
Schumacher came out as gay on his Instagram account and introduced the world to his partner. He posted a picture of the two together with a caption that read:
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"The most beautiful thing in life is when you have the right partner by your side with whom you can share everything."
As per reports in Bild, German actress Carmen Geiss has shared among other details that Schumacher's partner Etienne is French and was his business manager. He lives in Nice, France, and met the German driver in Monaco two years back and began managing him.
Schumacher lives with his son David in Salzburg, Austria. Although Etienne lives on the French Riviera, the two often meet. Etienne also spends a lot of time in Cape Town, South Africa alongside his time in Europe.
Etienne regularly posts on his Instagram account about his lavish vacations, including visiting several F1 races to support his partner, Ralf Schumacher, and his love for wild animals. He also seems to be an outdoors enthusiast, with multiple images of him engaging in extracurricular activities like hiking.
The couple's close friend Geiss also told Bild she was delighted with the confirmation. Geiss further added that the pair have never 'had an argument or dispute' and were 'sensationally happy'. She also added:
'Robert and I are very happy for Ralf and Etienne. It's finally out, it's just wonderful that the two of them are now living out their love. 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.' she added.
In another Instagram post on Monday, Schumacher thanked everyone for the response and added that the couple were "very happy and thank you all."
Ralf Schumacher's son extends his support to his father's relationship
Former F3 driver and Ralf Schumacher's son David stated that he was happy for his father after the former made a new chapter in his life public.
The 22-year-old commented on his father's announcement post and wrote:
"I am very happy that you have finally found someone with whom you really feel that you feel very comfortable and secure, no matter if they are a man or a woman. I am 100 percent behind you dad and wish you all the best and congratulations."
Ralf Schumacher was previously married to Cora Brinkman, a former racing driver and Playboy model, from 2001 to 2015, when they divorced and went their separate ways.
