“It can be polarising. If the drivers rush into things like that too much, it is dangerous ‒ the sport doesn’t deserve that,” said Ralf Schumacher, talking about Lewis Hamilton‘s continuous stand against the atrocities against minorities and the unrepresented majorities. What Ralf meant was that politics (championing homosexual rights to those of black people etc.) cannot be combined with sports and is not a ‘job’ of a driver. However, after what unfolded two days ago, one cannot help but wonder if Schumacher should express his gratitude towards years of work Lewis and his best friend Sebastian Vettel put into the cause that he so proudly stands atop. Why am I saying this? You’ll know in a bit.

Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel paved the way for Ralf Schumacher’s same-sex relationship pride

“The most beautiful thing in life is when you have the right partner by your side with whom you can share everything,” wrote 49-year-old Ralf Schumacher on Instagram as he posted a beautiful picture with his same-sex partner Etienne. Schumacher had previously been married to Cora before their separation in 2015. However, what is significant is the fact that coming out of the closet is a never-before-seen occurrence in the niche sport. This in itself is a momentous milestone for Formula 1, the same place where Nelson Piquet used homophobic slurs against late Ayrton Senna and even Lewis Hamilton. I mean, as if it were a thing to be ashamed of! A white man’s sport never had much room for diversity before a black driver (first and only of his color) stormed through the door and smashed the glass ceiling. Along with him was another multiple-world champion, Sebastian Vettel, who never missed an opportunity to find unity in diversity.

A sport where drivers hesitated to take a knee for the Black Lives Matter Movement, and often kept mum about other issues like LGBTQ+ rights, saw one of their own muster up the courage to unlatch the closet he had been sitting inside. It was now that he found the comfort and confidence to do so and we need to look at the surrounding circumstances to know how every rainbow helmet, mask, bicycle, and flag unfurled by the two champions might have played a role in it.

Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel never backed down so that the like of Ralf Schumacher can stand tall

Last year, Lewis Hamilton revealed that wearing his pride flag helmet for the first time in Qatar was a “nerve-wracking” experience for him. He had paraded the rainbow helmet at the first Qatar GP in 2021. His headgear sparked a lot of debate as he took issue with the country’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights. He could have been banned from the race or, worse, sent behind bars, but he didn’t back down.

Remembering the race weekend, he said, “I think all we can do is try to just be positive when we do come to these places and do take the opportunity.  So that’s why I continue to wear the flag here. I was very proud in 2021. It was also nerve-wracking because I didn’t know how the country would react. But it’s amazing when I do meet people who are incredibly grateful for utilizing my platform for something like that where they felt that they perhaps didn’t feel included. And as a sport we could attend, we have to continue to work on our inclusivity. Diversity continues to be an issue.”

It wasn’t racial diversity that was an issue, but sexual as well. In a world where the word ‘gay’ is a commonly used slang (as we saw in the English or Spanish soccer mania), it is important that the celebrated people who we look up to take the right must stand and become our true champions even outside the courts and track and rings. It makes my heart so full to see love winning yet another battle and the 6x GP winner come out on top. We wish Ralf Schumacher and his partner a happy life ahead.