FORMER F1 racer Ralf Schumacher has sparked a row after branding his ex-wife a “liar” and leaking WhatsApp messages that appear to show she knew he was gay.
Cora Schumacher claimed she was blindsided when her ex-hubby came out as gay – and said she had “wasted” her years of marriage.
Ralf revealed in an Instagram post last month that he is in a relationship with his French business manager Etienne.
Cora, who married the former F1 driver in 2001 but called quits in 2015, suggested she had been completely unaware of Ralf’s homosexuality – and that he was dating a French guy.
The former model said she felt “stabbed in her heart” after Ralf announced his relationship status.
However, Ralf has now posted a screenshot of an alleged WhatsApp chat between his ex-wife and Etienne – indicating she knew about it all along.
In the chat, which reportedly dates back to last year, Cora appears to congratulate Etienne about his new relationship with Ralf and says “[I am] so happy for you both”.
She even appears to say she was “told they were married”.
Ralf posted the WhatsApp chat on his Instagram and wrote: “With all the back and forth, I would like to make it clear that Cora congratulated us in September 2023 because she thought we had gotten married.
“I think it’s a shame for Etienne and me that she spreads so many lies. We both just want to be left in peace.”
Cora was left raging after Ralf leaked the Whatsapp chat, branding the move as “pathetic” and illegal”.
She wrote on a social media post: “How pathetic does a person have to be to illegally publish private WhatsApp messages to conceal the truth?”
The former model claims that Ralf had introduced Etienne merely as a business associate – and not as his boyfriend.
She added: “The WhatsApp was my last attempt to at least find out the truth from him.”
A sobbing Cora told Der Spiegel that she had been “psychologically manipulated by Ralf”.
“I wish Ralf had included me or at least let me be part of his decision. It would have been a sign of respect,’ she told Der Spiegel.
“During his career in F1, there were many rumours in the paddock. I asked him to clarify if what was being said was true, but he always denied it, telling me that I was imagining everything and that maybe I needed psychological help.
“When he announced it, it was like a stab in the heart. Coming out always affects those around you, including the ex-wife with whom you had a child.
“Today I feel used during the marriage. I feel like I’ve wasted my best years. I ask myself many questions. Was he honest with me?”
Speaking of the row with his ex-wife, Ralf said it did not bother him anyway – and it did not put a strain on him.
He told RTL added: “‘Definitely not on me, no.”
Ralf’s son Davis has previously shown support to his dad on his relationship with Etienne, DailyMail reports.
He said: “I am very happy that you have finally found someone with whom you really feel that you feel very comfortable and secure, no matter if they are a man or a woman.
“I am 100 per cent behind you Dad and wish you all the best and congratulations.”
RALF Schumacher is the younger brother of legenadry racer and seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher.
Ralf stepped into the world of karting when he was just three years old and became quite successful at it.
He then switched to motorsport racing and began competing in the German Formula Three Championship and the Formula Nippon series.
The Jordan Grand Prix in 1997 marked his first race as an F1 driver.
He then moved to the Williams team in 1999 and finished sixth in the Drivers’ Championship that year.
The German racer won his first Grand Prix in 2001 and claimed fourth place in the Drivers’ championship.
He went on to win five more races in the next two years.
Schumacher left Williams at the end of 2004 and joined Toyota Racing in 2005.
But his disastrous performance in the 2006 and 2007 season forced him to quit F1 racing.
After leaving Formula One, Schumacher joined the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) in 2008 but retired from the world of racing four years later.
He is now a co-commentator for Sky Sport in Germany.
