Ralf Schumacher, a former Formula 1 race winner, states that his sexuality is not something he plans to overly emphasize now that he has come out.
Despite the lingering stigmas in male-dominated sports like F1, the 49-year-old announced on Instagram that he is in a same-sex relationship, a fact well-known to his close friends and family for some time.
"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," shared the younger brother of F1 icon Michael Schumacher.
David, Ralf's 22-year-old son, immediately showed unwavering support for his father's revelation.
"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," Ralf expressed.
Currently a pundit for German television Sky, Schumacher remains deeply involved in the sport: "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."
Support also came from Mercedes CEO Ola Kallenius, among others.
Nonetheless, Ralf wishes for his personal life to retreat from the limelight now.
"Let's see what happens next," he commented. "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 Schumacher family has historically valued their privacy, a trait underscored by the total seclusion of Michael since his skiing accident in 2013.
A family spokesman conveyed to the 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." body check tags ::
