Schumacher reprimands Vettel for his comment about 'white men'.

      "I consider this phrasing to be quite narrow-minded."

      By GMM

      21 March 2025 - 07:06

      Ralf Schumacher has criticized fellow former Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel for his recent comments. Vettel, who, like Lewis Hamilton, is known for advocating various social justice issues, commended Schumacher for recently coming out as gay. "Coming out in sports and being accepted remains very challenging," the four-time world champion told the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger. "That’s why having courageous role models is so vital," Vettel, 37, added. However, it was his following statement that angered Schumacher. "Ralf’s coming out was really well received in the motorsport community," Vettel stated. "But of course, motorsport is still a domain where aging white men dominate. Some issues remain taboo." Schumacher, 49, reacted on social media. "Thank you for the compliment," he remarked, addressing Vettel. "However, I find the comment about old white men to be entirely misleading and inaccurate. I see this phrasing as very narrow-minded. For me, coming out posed no issue, and I received support from the entire F1 community." Seven-time world champion Hamilton recently made similar observations about aging white men when discussing the criticism he occasionally encounters. "I never respond to those older, ultimately white men who have commented on my career and what they think I should be doing," said the Ferrari driver.