Ralf Schumacher marries in Saint-Tropez: a high-profile and controversial marriage

Picture: © picture alliance/dpa | Lukas Barth-Tuttas

Former Formula One driver Ralf Schumacher married his partner Étienne Bousquet-Cassagne on May 30, 2026, in Saint-Tropez. The ceremony, which was the subject of a documentary made for German television, drew criticism for the media coverage of their intimate lives and rekindled tensions with his ex-wife Cora.

Ralf Schumacher, 50 and the younger brother of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, officially married Étienne Bousquet-Cassagne, 36, at Saint-Tropez town hall. The ceremony took place May 30, 2026, at the couple's estate. About 110 guests attended the three-day celebration.

Ralf Schumacher's husband, Étienne Bousquet-Cassagne, is a French farmer and trade unionist, the son of a large farming family from the Lot-et-Garonne region. His father, Serge Bousquet-Cassagne, is president of the Lot-et-Garonne Chamber of Agriculture and a leading figure in the agricultural union Coordination Rurale. His mother is Algerian.

Étienne Bousquet-Cassagne, born September 22, 1989, in Villeneuve-sur-Lot, was a member of the Front National from 2007 to 2020, which transitioned into the Rassemblement National in 2018. At the age of 23, he represented the "Front National in a new guise" that Marine Le Pen wanted to promote, with a well-developed discourse and rhetoric specific to the Front National.

He was a candidate in several elections in Lot-et-Garonne, including the cantonal elections in Tonneins in 2011, the by-elections in the 3ᵉ constituency of Lot-et-Garonne in 2013, the parliamentary elections in 2017 and the municipal elections in Villeneuve-sur-Lot in 2020, but never secured a mandate.

Étienne Bousquet-Cassagne retired from politics after 2020 to devote himself to personal projects and associations. He is now committed to animals with Ralf Schumacher. The couple met when Bousquet-Cassagne was manager at Schumacher Wines, Ralf's estate. They split their time between Saint-Tropez, South Africa, Germany and Austria.

The wedding was partially filmed by Sky Deutschland and WOW for a documentary titled "Ralf & Étienne: Wir sagen Ja." ("Ralf & Étienne: We say yes.") Among other things, the documentary revolves around the preparations for the wedding, focusing on the couple's appearance and image. Some German media expressed irony about the contrast between the couple's desire for privacy and the extensive coverage of the event.

The main controversy concerned Cora Schumacher (Cora-Caroline Brinkmann), Ralf's ex-wife to whom he was married for 14 years. She publicly criticized the fact that she had not been notified of her husband's coming-out in July 2024. Cora described the announcement as a "stab in the heart" and said she had felt "used" during their relationship. She even burned her wedding dress and asked Schumacher to let her "heal in peace." Ralf responded on Instagram, saying Cora had congratulated the couple in September 2023, mistakenly thinking they were already married.

Ralf Schumacher's coming-out on Instagram in July 2024 is considered historic in the still highly conservative motorsports world: he became one of the very few former male racing drivers to speak publicly about his homosexuality. The couple officially confirmed their marriage in a press release in early 2026 .

Picture: © picture alliance/dpa | Lukas Barth-Tuttas