Ralf Schumacher shows himself with his friend on Instagram

The rumors that Ralf Schumacher is gay have been circulating for a long time. But now the ex-racing driver has admitted it: “The best thing in life is when you have the right partner by your side with whom you can share everything,” he writes in a photo on Instagram that shows him arm in arm with a man. They are looking at the sunset from a boat.

Reality TV star Carmen Geiss reveals more details, commenting on the post: “You have the best partner Etienne you could imagine. After 2 years you can finally show your love to the world.”

At least for Schumacher’s friends, the coming out does not seem to be a surprise.

The 49-year-old was previously married to Cora Schumacher from 2001 to 2015, but the couple have been living apart since 2009. The couple has a son, David, who, like his father Ralf, is a racing driver. On Saturday, the 22-year-old celebrated his first victory at the ADAC GT Masters, which his father immediately congratulated him on on Instagram.

Like his brother Michael, Ralf Schumacher made it into Formula 1, driving for Jordan, Williams and Toyota between 1997 and 2007. The 49-year-old drove a total of 180 races in the premier class of motorsport, but was often overshadowed by his older brother, who, with seven titles, is still the record Formula 1 world champion together with Lewis Hamilton. Ralf Schumacher, on the other hand, achieved six victories in the premier class, including a victory at his home Grand Prix at the Hockenheimring in 2001. His greatest successes were two fourth places in the world championship, in both years his brother Michael became world champion. After leaving Formula 1, Ralf Schumacher drove in the DTM between 2008 and 2012, starting for Mercedes-Benz. However, he did not manage to win a single race in 52 races, and was only on the podium twice.