Are alot of formula 1 drivers gay

Mike Beuttler scored five top finishes in F1 between to Mike Beuttler raced against many of the all-time Formula 1 greats in the early s - and then disappeared. Even the British driver's closest motorsport friends heard nothing from him over the final 14 years of his life. Then, in latethey learned from his family that he had died in Los Angeles of Aids, aged Beuttler remains the only known gay male driver to have competed at the highest level of motorsport.

He did so at a time when F1 was an especially macho environment. James Hunt, the world champion, famously had the phrase, 'Sex, the breakfast of champions' embroidered on his overalls and many drivers had reputations for being womanisers. The racing world of the s is a very different place to that of the s.

Matt Bishop, a Racing Pride ambassador and Aston Martin F1 chief communications officer, said: "In the early s, people didn't talk about being gay. He wouldn't. I don't think the word 'out' really existed when he was racing. Mike Beuttler would often be accompanied by Anne Ries de Loen at races.

Beuttler raced in F1 for three seasons, from to His path to the sport began to open up after he had success in the late s in Formula 3 and then moved to Formula 2, most notably winning at Vallelunga in Italy in Phillips met Beuttler inand got to know the driver well as he competed in Formula 2.

Beuttler got the reputation of being a very rough racer, because he did not like being overtaken and would block anyone who got in his way - and the nickname 'Blocker' was born.

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His career was financed by stockbroker friends and in he raced as a semi-works March driver, with Lauda and Ronnie Peterson as his team-mates at the Canadian Grand Prix. Mike Beuttler raced in 28 Grands Prix during his career. InBeuttler achieved his best-ever finish, seventh in the Spanish Grand Prix.

Overall, he scored five top finishes in his career. But then the UK was plunged into financial turmoil by the oil crisis, and his team did not have the money to stay in the sport. Ann Bradshaw, a motorsport PR consultant who first met Beuttler in the early s, said: "There was no stigma with Mike, he was a nice gentle person - everyone knew he was gay, it wasn't a secret and it was accepted.

Beuttler's life in the USA remains a mystery, though there are reports he went into the business world. What is known is that Beuttler died of Aids on 29 December Britcar Endurance Championship driver and Racing Pride co-founder Richard Morris has had lots of support within motorsport after coming out as gay in Since Beuttler's death, several motorsport drivers have come out as gay.

Richard Morris, co-founder of Racing Pride and a driver for the Praga team in the Britcar Endurance Championship, came out as gay inwhen already established in motorsport. Some people knew I was gay but I wasn't out - I think that is very similar to Beuttler's experience.

Morris said coming out to the motorsport community has been a positive experience. Section 28 was a law that affected England, Wales and Scotland, passed in by a Conservative government that stopped councils and schools "promoting the teaching of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship".

Image source, Motorsport Images.