Ralf Schumacher’s boyfriend is his French basic supervisor

Ralf Schumacher is in a relationship with his business manager, a close friend of the pair has revealed, hours after the former Formula One driver and brother of seven-time world champion Michael came out as gay in a social media post on Sunday. 

Ralf, 49, shared an image of himself and another man with their arms around each other watching a sunset over the ocean accompanied by a touching message that read: ‘The most beautiful thing in life is when you have the right partner by your side with whom you can share everything.’

The surprise announcement from the former driver turned entrepreneur and pundit was met with a torrent of congratulations and well-wishes from fans and members of the motorsport community. 

But German actress Carmen Geiss, a close friend of the couple, revealed that Ralf had already been in a relationship for two years, and named his partner as Etienne – a Frenchman who was working as Ralf’s business manager when they fell in love. 

‘They met in Monaco. Ralf lives in Salzburg with his son, Etienne lives in Nice. But the two are together quite often,’ Geiss said, adding the pair are ‘sensationally happy’ and have ‘never had an argument or dispute’.

Etienne splits his time between Cape Town in South Africa and the city of Nice on the French Riviera – just 30 minutes away from Monaco – home to many past and present members of the glitzy F1 paddock.

There the business manager is said to have met former Jordan, Williams and Toyota driver Ralf, and the pair began working together with Etienne managing the former driver’s affairs. 

But it is not clear when their relationship crossed from professional to personal. 

Geiss, 59, told BILD that she and her husband Robert are frequently invited to visit Ralf and Etienne ever since their loving relationship began some two years ago.

‘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,’ she said.

Her interview with BILD came hours after the actress responded to Ralf’s post on Sunday with a heartfelt message of support.

‘I LOVE YOU BOTH SO MUCH,’ she wrote.

‘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.’ 

News of Ralf’s same-sex relationship comes almost a decade after he split from ex-wife Cora Brinkman in 2015. 

The pair were were married for 14 years, having tied the knot back in 2001 before their divorce nine years ago, and also had a son, David, who shared his support for his father on social media yesterday.

‘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,’ wrote the 22-year-old, who is also a racing driver.

‘I am 100 per cent behind you dad and wish you all the best and congratulations.’

Cora, now 47, had a racing career of her own, driving in various classes and championships, and also built a separate career in showbusiness as a model, television presenter and actress.

She is best known for featuring on German television programmes like Top of the Pops, Mareinhof and Alarm Fur Cobra 11 – Die Autobahnpolizei, and since the split from Ralf launched a profile on the adult platform OnlyFans.

The pair remained close after their split, with Ralf congratulating his ex-wife on joining the cast of the German version of I’m a celebrity get me out of here in January 2024. 

Though Ralf had a notable career of his own in F1, his achievements were always overshadowed by those of his seven-time world champion brother Michael, who is widely considered to be one of the best drivers of all time.

The siblings had a close relationship throughout their career but Michael has not been seen in public since he suffered a serious brain injury in a brutal skiing accident in the French Alps in 2013.

That incident caused the notoriously private Schumacher family to shelter the stricken star from the world, with a select few people now permitted to visit him on the condition they do not share details of his condition. 

Ralf is no longer in close contact with Michael and his wife Corinna, but says he is always there to offer support. 

‘When I see his children Gina-Maria and Mick, my heart smiles,’ Ralf shared with German magazine Bunte in November as he detailed his distant relationship with the family. 

‘If someone in the family is looking for my advice, I’m there. They go their own way.’

The former F1 driver admitted: ‘I miss the Michael of the old days. Life is unfair from time to time. Michael was very lucky throughout his life. But then there was this tragic accident.’

Ralf, who won six F1 Grand Prix, emphasised that Michael had been more than just his older brother.

He told local media: ‘Michael wasn’t only my brother. When we were kids, he was also my coach and mentor. He taught me literally everything about kart racing.’

Ralf said: ‘There may be an age gap of seven years, but he was always by my side. We raced together, we practised overtaking manoeuvres and everything that matters in motorsports.’

The former Jordan and Williams driver underlined: ‘He passed on all the different things he had already internalised. I had the honour to learn from the best.’

Summing up Michael’s dire predicament, Ralf added: ‘Fortunately, advanced medical science provides many opportunities. However, nothing is like it used to be.’