Former F1 star Ralf Schumacher opens up on marriage, homophobia and ignoring online comments

Ralf Schumacher

Former F1 star Ralf Schumacher opens up on marriage, homophobia and ignoring online comments

Schumacher and his husband tied the knot in June

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson F1 Editor

Motorsport journalist covering F1 since 2024

Saturday 29 August 2026 13:55

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Former F1 star Ralf Schumacher has opened up on life as a married man, his honeymoon, homophobia, and ignoring online comments in a wide-ranging new interview.

Schumacher, who raced in 180 grands prix for teams such as Jordan, Williams and Toyota, winning six races, announced back in 2024 that he was in a same-sex relationship.

Earlier this year, Schumacher and his now-husband, Étienne Bousquet-Cassagne (now Schumacher), tied the knot in Saint-Tropez, France, announcing their marriage in a joint post on their Instagram pages in early June.

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The happy couple even let the cameras behind-the-scenes, with German broadcaster Sky Deutschland producing Ralf & Étienne: We Say Yes - a four-part docu-series that followed the couple leading up to and during the big day.

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Ralf Schumacher opens up on marriage

Now, in an interview with German publication Bild, Schumacher has opened up on life as a married man.

"It hardly feels any different," Schumacher told the German outlet. "Things have always been very harmonious between us. And they still are.

"The wedding has simply made that official."

Schumacher also revealed that the couple hadn't even had time for a traditional honeymoon, either, such are their busy schedules.

"No, we hardly had any time for that," he explained. "We were travelling a lot, invited to two birthdays and another wedding.

"Of course, we did have some time just for the two of us now and then, but it wasn't a honeymoon in the true sense of the word. Maybe that will come later."

Schumacher on homophobia and ignoring online comments

While the overwhelming majority of the reaction to Schumacher coming out as gay in 2024 was positive, there were sadly reactions to the opposite effect, too. This included Sergio Perez's father, who made a homophobic joke that Schumacher was in love with his son after commenting that he could leave Red Bull.

In the Bild interview, Schumacher was asked whether there had been any homophobic reaction to his marriage and the documentary made, but thankfully, he says the reaction was overwhelmingly positive.

"I rarely read online comments. The reactions I've received have been overwhelmingly positive," he said. "We were happy, Sky was happy. And the media response has been sensational. Such a thing about a documentary has been rare in recent years."

Asked if there had been any homophobic comments, he continued: "I'm sure they existed.

"It's true that people on the internet are always quick to comment if something doesn't suit them.

"If they like something, they don't comment so quickly. But again: I rarely, if ever, read those reactions."

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