Why don't active F1 drivers come out as gay?
Former Formula 1 racer Ralf Schumacher (50) from Germany is said to marry his boyfriend Étienne Bousquet-Cassagne (36) from France in May. While Michael Schumacher's brother Ralf was racing in F1 between 1997 and 2007 for Jordan, Williams and Toyota, he was in a heterosexual relationship. RSC came out as gay in 2024. Why don't F1 drivers come out in their active years? Well, why would they?
Let's look at some factors.
1: Racing in countries where gay sex is outlawed
Looking at the 2026 F1 season, four host countries ban gay sex: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix).
Technically, the US states of Florida (Miami Grand Prix) and Texas (United States Grand Prix) outlaw sodomy as well.
2: Countries outlaw or censor communicating about non-heterosexual lives
Host countries such as the People's Republic of China, Hungary, Azerbaijan, nowadays the United States of America, and also Japan and Italy have governments who are no fans of LGBTQIA+ topics.
3: Follow the money
Where does the money come from? Nowadays investors come from the Middle East and the USA, where being pro-gay is a no-go.
To be in F1, as a driver, you rely on so many sponsors and supporters, so you can't alienate them. If it's hard for a diver (Tom Daley) or a skier (Gus Kenworthy), it's so many times harder for a car racer.
4: Decisions makers
Decision makers in Formula 1 don't exactly have this open, welcoming, open-minded vibe. They're mostly white, above 50 and very heterosexual.
5: Focus on racing
Professional athletes are expected to focus on their sport. Only when F1 drivers are at the very, very top, they get leeway to talk about 'issues'. In May 2025, Ferrari president John Elkann told 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and Monegasque superstar Charles Leclerc to "talk less and drive more".
It's like school children to focus on their studies and drop anything else in live when grades aren't that great.
6: Zeitgeist
Let's face it. The worldwide zeitgeist isn't that gay-friendly at the moment. The USA, Hungary, China, and elsewhere prides feel the heat, queer content its under threat...
'Heated Rivalry' is an outlier.
But also with people online, the netizens, there is LGBTQIA+ topic fatigue.
7: Scrutiny
Would you want the scrutiny? Media and people will go crazy and analyze everything. Who is is he dating? Top or bottom? That's so distracting.
8: (No) boyfriend
As a single gay man myself, I hate it when my sexual orientation is limited to romantic partners. By which I mean often sexual orientation is linked to who you're with romantically. Not who you're fucking (or being fucked by). Yes I'm using vulgar language here because it's about sex more than about love.
But here, if I were an F1 driver, being single and gay, I wouldn't see the need to come out. There's no boyfriend wanting (public) recognition, wanting not to be hidden.
So why bother?