Ralf Schumacher: From racing driver to winemaker and series partner of the German GT Championship

01-Oct-2021 - Germany

At the most beautiful moment of every race in the German GT Championship, ex-Formula 1 star Ralf Schumacher (46) comes into play. When the winners of the ADAC GT Masters celebrate with the traditional champagne shower after the trophy presentation, they do so with Schumacher Selection - a sparkling wine from the six-time Grand Prix winner. Since 2019, victories in the ADAC GT Masters have already been celebrated with Schumacher Selection, including this coming weekend (1-3 October) at the races at the Sachsenring. In the interview, Schumacher tells us how his passion for wine came about and talks about young talent in motorsport, which he promotes with his own highly successful team in ADAC Formula 4. The two races on the traditional circuit will be broadcast live on NITRO on free-TV on Saturday and Sunday from 4pm. In the livestream, they can be watched free of charge and without registration at TVNOW.de and at adac.de/motorsport.

How do you go from racing driver to winemaker?

Ralf Schumacher: "In motorsport, you're always associated with champagne on the podium. In addition, I have always had a passion for good wine. When I needed a good wine for my restaurant Schumacher's in Bergheim, I came across the Klet Brda winery in Slovenia. They gave me a white wine of the Ribolla Gialla variety to try. I was surprised at how good it was, as I had never really heard of the variety before. The winery's other varietals were also excellent and I decided to list the wine at my restaurant. After a few more visits, I decided to take it further. That's how my own wine brand, Schumacher Selection, was born."

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What kind of wines do you have in your range?

"The range is expanding bit by bit. By now I have fresh white wines, red wines aged in oak barrels, but also a traditional sparkling wine and a sweet wine to round off the range. The most important thing for me is to offer high quality wine at a fair price. Whereby above all the gastronomy is in focus, my wine should have something exclusive and not be listed at every internet retailer."

With your sparkling wine you are a partner of the ADAC GT Masters, why?

"As I said before, in motorsport the champagne shower at the award ceremony is part of it. I have been associated with the ADAC GT Masters platform for a long time, also because my Formula 4 team, which I run together with Gerhard Ungar, competes there. That's how we got talking and the idea came up that you could actually celebrate the victory with Schumacher's Selection - which has been happening for two years now. Apart from that, it helps to make the brand known, of course, plus VIP guests can enjoy my wines in the hospitality. So it's a coherent concept."

Moving on from wine to motorsport, how do you rate your team US Racing this Formula 4 season?

"We've had a good start to the season overall. Tim Tramnitz recently celebrated his first win of the season at Hockenheim and is now second in the standings. With Luke Browning in third place in the standings, we have another iron in the fire."

What goals have you set yourself at US Racing for this season?

"Obviously we want to be champions, otherwise we wouldn't need to compete. But it's just as important that we train the young up-and-coming talent well. In ADAC Formula 4, they learn the tools for higher series, which will hopefully lead one or the other to Formula 1."

What is important for a junior driver if he has the goal of Formula 1?

"Discipline, willpower and hard work. You have to be willing to keep learning, soak up everything and never get fed up. Of course, budget also plays a part."

Your son David has followed in your footsteps and finished his second season in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship in Sotchi this weekend, how pleased are you with him?

"I'm delighted that David is making his way in motorsport. In Formula 3 he struggled a bit at the beginning, but that's normal. Then in Spielberg he took his first win, which made me incredibly proud."

Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.

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