Ralf Schumacher responds after Sergio Perez’s dad appears to aim homophobic comment at him

Ralf Schumacher has issued a response after father appeared to make homophobic remarks aimed at him. Over the last few months, rumours have been running rife that are on the verge of kicking Perez Jr, 34, to the curb following the Mexican’s poor run of form.

Given that the axe hasn’t swung yet, Checo’s dad, , has come out swinging at his son’s detractors, of which Schumacher is one of them. Speaking to , the 65-year-old insisted the media owed his boy an apology before taking aim at Schumacher, who has tipped to part ways with Perez on numerous occasions this season.

In July, Schumacher, brother of seven-time F1 champion and a six-time race winner in his own right, that he was in a same-sex relationship, something Perez referenced in his diatribe. “There’s a driver who was a Formula 1 driver, [and is now a] journalist, he first stated that Checo was already out of . The following week he [Schumacher] came out of the closet.

“I don’t know if he was in love with Checo. Do you understand it? There are many strange things. You no longer know if he is a journalist, a woman, a gentleman… his opinion doesn’t matter.”

Schumacher responded to the comment on social media. He posted a screengrab of an article in German, which featured a photograph of the Mexican speaking with the headline: “Perez Sr. goes after Schumacher.” Alongside the picture, he posted: “I would also stand behind my son 100 percent and try to help. That is what you do as a father. As for the style, I would be different but we know Mr. Perez with all his emotions. That is why I am not angry with him. However, I believe that results on the track would be the better argument.”

Ralf, 49, and Cora, 47, were married for 13 years between 2001 and 2014. Their divorce was finalised in 2015, some nine years before Schumacher – who now works for Sky Sports Germany as part of their F1 coverage – came out as gay. The news, which Cora claimed was a complete shock to her on social media, sparked something of between the pair.

Ralf, however, hit back, insisting that she knew he was gay before he went public with the news. Nevertheless, Cora has since claimed that she “wasted her best years” with Ralf and that she has been experiencing panic attacks since July.

Schumacher’s ex-wife has openly spoken of the pain she is feeling since the former F1 star came out as gay. Speaking to , Cora said: “I finally want to put my past behind me and I wish Ralf would let me heal in peace so that I can finally start living my life carefree.”

On , Schumacher announced that he had been in a two-year relationship with French business manager Etienne Bousquet-Cassagne. Schumacher competed in F1 between 1997 and 2007, driving for the likes of Jordan, Williams and Toyota. His best performances came in 2001 and 2002 where he managed back-to-back fourth-place finishes. On both occasions, his brother Michael finished top of the pile.

The German then spent four years competing in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) series, before announcing his retirement from motorsport in 2013. He’s since forged a career in broadcast journalism and currently works for Sky Deutschland as both a pundit and a co-commentator for the F1 coverage.

Last month, he said he believed that Perez “wouldn’t drive a single metre for in 2025”, amid the team are considering both Liam Lawson and Franco Colapinto as his replacement. Perez is, however, under contract at until 2026.

The Guadalajara native is currently eighth in the Drivers’ Championship, and nearly 250 points behind team-mate , who is on the verge of winning his fourth-consecutive world title. Perez hasn’t managed a single podium finish since the Chinese Grand Prix back in April, and has ended outside the top 10 in three of his last five races.