Ralf Schumacher

Ralf Schumacher (June 30, 1975 - Present): A German racing driver from Hürth-Hermülheim, Rhein-Erft-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia, Ralf is the younger brother of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher, and the pair remain the only siblings to each win Formula One races. He competed in Formula One from 1997 to 2007, winning six Grands Prix across 11 seasons with Jordan, Williams, and Toyota. After success in German and European Formula Three, Ralf made his Formula One debut with Jordan in 1997 alongside Giancarlo Fisichella. In only his third Grand Prix at Argentina, the 21-year-old Ralf finished third, becoming the youngest driver in history to finish on the podium at that time.

He remained with Jordan through 1998, showing flashes of brilliance. Ralf moved to Williams for 1999, partnering Alessandro Zanardi, and immediately improved, finishing sixth in the championship. His breakthrough came in 2001 when the Williams-BMW FW23 became competitive. Ralf won three races that season—San Marino, Canada, and Germany—and finished fourth in the championship alongside teammate Juan Pablo Montoya.

His strongest season came in 2002 when he again finished fourth in the championship with victories in Malaysia and Europe. Ralf won once more in 2003 at France before a massive testing crash at Monza left him with severe injuries. He recovered but was never quite the same driver. All six of Ralf's victories came with Williams-BMW between 2001 and 2003. Ralf left Williams at the end of 2004 to join Toyota Racing for 2005-2007, but the team's uncompetitive machinery meant he never achieved another victory.

Internal pressure and disappointing results led to his departure from Formula One after the 2007 season. He achieved six race wins, six pole positions, eight fastest laps, and 27 podiums across 180 race starts, finishing fourth in the championship twice (2001, 2002). Following Formula One, Ralf raced in DTM (German Touring Car Masters) from 2008 to 2012, winning the 2012 Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class Championship. He later became a Formula One pundit and commentator for Sky Sport Germany.

In July 2024, Ralf publicly announced that he was in a same-sex relationship with Étienne Bousquet-Cassagne, receiving widespread support from the motorsport community. Ralf's son David Schumacher has followed the family into racing. Known for his smooth driving style and living in the enormous shadow of his legendary brother, Ralf carved out his own successful Formula One career and remains a respected figure in German motorsport.