He's the Biggest Name in F1 Racing to Come Out as Gay

Former Formula One driver Ralf Schumacher is now the biggest name in his sport to come out as gay, reports the Guardian. The 49-year-old put up an Instagram post with his arm around another man and wrote:

• "The most beautiful thing in life is when you have the right partner by your side with whom you can share everything," as translated from German, per People.

Schumacher raced from 1997 to 2007, chalking up six wins. His brother is seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, and his 22-year-old son, David, currently races, per CNN. "I am very happy that you have finally found someone with whom you really feel that you feel very comfortable and secure," wrote David in his own post. Ralf Schumacher was previously married to David's mother.

The only other male driver to come out as gay in F1 history was Brit Mike Beuttler, who drove from 1971 to 1973 and died in 1988, reports Reuters. A friend of Schumacher's, German actor Carmen Geiss, wrote of the Instagram post: "Today he confessed his homosexuality. This step was an act of liberation and self-acceptance for him. It was a courageous decision that has matured in him for a long time and one he is now full of pride and confidence." (More Formula One stories.)