BBC Sport looks at the reer of Mike Bttler, Formula 1's only known gay male driver, and his impact on today's LGBT+ motorsport muny.
Contents:
- LGBT+ HISTORY MONTH: MIKE BTTLER - FORMULA 1'S ONLY KNOWN GAY MALE DRIVER
- F1 WOULD WELE AN OPENLY GAY DRIVER - SEBASTIAN VETTEL
- F1 WOULD WELE AN OPENLY GAY DRIVER, SAYS VETTEL
- GAY NATN’S TOP FORMULA ONE DRIVERS IN 2022
- PETROV: IF AN F1 DRIVER OUT AS GAY, WILL THEY URGE EVERYONE ELSE TO BEE GAY?
- ARE THERE ANY GAY F1 DRIVERS?
- VETTEL: A GAY FORMULA 1 DRIVER WOULD BE WELED, AND RIGHTLY SO
LGBT+ HISTORY MONTH: MIKE BTTLER - FORMULA 1'S ONLY KNOWN GAY MALE DRIVER
* gay in formula 1 *
Bttler remas the only known gay male driver to have peted at the hight level of did so at a time when F1 was an pecially macho environment.
"I knew he was gay, but didn't matter my world.
F1 WOULD WELE AN OPENLY GAY DRIVER - SEBASTIAN VETTEL
Formula One would now wele s first openly gay driver, acrdg to Germany's four-time world champn Sebastian Vettel. * gay in formula 1 *
"The racg world of the 2020s is a very different place to that of the Bishop, a Racg Pri ambassador and Aston Mart F1 chief munitns officer, said: "In the early 1970s, people didn't talk about beg gay. "In the Uned Kgdom, was only 1967 that homosexualy was legalised between two nsentg adults private. Overall, he sred five top-10 fish his then the UK was plunged to fancial turmoil by the 1973 oil crisis, and his team did not have the money to stay the 34, Bttler retired om Bradshaw, a motorsport PR nsultant who first met Bttler the early 1970s, said: "There was no stigma wh Mike, he was a nice gentle person - everyone knew he was gay, wasn't a secret and was accepted.
F1 WOULD WELE AN OPENLY GAY DRIVER, SAYS VETTEL
Formula One would now wele s first openly gay driver, acrdg to Germany's four tim world champn Sebastian Vettel. * gay in formula 1 *
"I spect would have been easier for him to live the liftyle he wanted LA and San Francis, whereas beg gay London was a more secretive thg, " said Phillips. "'LGBT+ people have always been part of motorsport'Brr Endurance Champnship driver and Racg Pri -founr Richard Morris has had lots of support wh motorsport after g out as gay 2018Sce Bttler's ath, several motorsport drivers have e out as Mans class wner Danny Watts me out 2017, a year after retirg, while the W Seri there is LGBT+ reprentatn on track fellow Brish drivers Abbie Eaton and Sarah Moore.
Richard Morris, -founr of Racg Pri and a driver for the Praga team the Brr Endurance Champnship, me out as gay 2018, when already tablished motorsport.
GAY NATN’S TOP FORMULA ONE DRIVERS IN 2022
Some people knew I was gay but I wasn't out - I thk that is very siar to Bttler's experience. "If he was alive, he would have been terviewed about Sectn 28 and gay marriage. "Sectn 28 was a law that affected England, Wal and Stland, passed 1988 by a Conservative ernment that stopped uncils and schools "promotg the teachg of the acceptabily of homosexualy as a pretend fay relatnship" were mass protts by LGBT+ mpaigners and the law was repealed Stland 2000, before England and Wal did the same 2003.
Are there or has been any gay drivers formula 1?
I wonr if there are drivers wh a homosexual orientatn. FLORION GOGA/POOL/AFP via Getty ImagRtersJun 8, 2022, 03:54 PM ETFormula One would now wele s first openly gay driver, acrdg to Germany's four-time world champn Sebastian champnship, which started 1950, has had only male drivers on the startg grid sce 1976 but has ma a ph for diversy and cln wh teams showg support for the LGBTQ Mart driver Vettel last year wore a rabow-loured T shirt Hungary wh the msage "same love" to prott anti-LGBTQ+ 34-year-old father of three has also peted wh Racg Pri logos on his r. "Perhaps wouldn't have been the se the past, but now I thk a gay Formula One driver would be weled, and rightly so, " Vettel said an terview wh LGBTQ magaze Attu that featured him on s ver.
PETROV: IF AN F1 DRIVER OUT AS GAY, WILL THEY URGE EVERYONE ELSE TO BEE GAY?
"I feel that a gay driver would help to speed up the elimatn of prejudice and help ph our sport a better directn.
ARE THERE ANY GAY F1 DRIVERS?
"Blackpool forward Jake Daniels last month beme the first active male profsnal player English football 32 years to announce he is gay. Homosexualy is illegal and punished wh a fe or a prison sentence, and trans people nnot legally change genr. Acrdg to a report to state-sponsored homophobia by Lus Ramón Mendos of the human rights group ILGA World, Qatar “ns Sharia urts, where technilly is possible that Mlim men uld be put to ath for same-sex sexual behavurs.
VETTEL: A GAY FORMULA 1 DRIVER WOULD BE WELED, AND RIGHTLY SO
Are there gay F1 drivers?