Michael and Corinna Schumacher are set to become grandparents, as their daughter Gina-Marie is expecting her first child.

The seven-time F1 World Champion is set to become a grandfather for the first time, at the age of 55 years old.

Gina-Marie Schumacher announces pregnancy

Following on from her marriage to Iain Bethke earlier this year, Gina-Marie – daughter of Michael and Corinna Schumacher – is expecting her first child.

Taking to Instagram, Gina-Marie – a competitor in the equestrian world – posted a picture of balloons beside a dinky little horse. The balloons read “baby”, while a sign Gina-Marie had prepared said, “My new rider, coming April 2025”.

Tagging her husband in the caption, Gina-Marie wrote “Impatiently awaiting the arrival of our little girl”. Her brother, former F1 star Mick Schumacher, wrote a comment to say “So excited” in response to the news he will become an uncle.

Schumacher married her fiance Bethke at a lavish ceremony in Majorca in June, with the event attended by family members and close friends.

With complete privacy around the physical condition of Michael Schumacher – who hasn’t been seen in public since suffering a life-changing skiing accident in December 2013 – there were initial reports that the former F1 star had been in attendance at the ceremony.

However, these reports were inaccurate.

In the years since Schumacher’s accident, Corinna and the Schumacher family have been intensely protective of the privacy of the F1 legend, with only a very small circle of close friends and confidantes given permission to visit him or be made aware of the latest on his condition.

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Michael Schumacher blackmail plot court case begins in Germany

The joyful news for the Schumacher family comes as an unsavoury episode plays out in the German court system, as a trial involving three men attempting to blackmail the Schumacher family has begun in Wuppertal.

Markus Fritsche, a 53-year-old, worked as a bodyguard for the Schumacher family – and their property – for several years. He is accused of attempting to use confidential information about Schumacher’s health condition to extort money from the family – to the tune of around €15 million euro.

The attempted blackmail reportedly involved 1,500 images, 200 videos, and detailed medical records about Schumacher, although Fritsche is understood to not have had access to all aspects of Schumacher’s medical care. The data is alleged to have been stored on USB drivers and external hard drivers.

Fritsche is alleged to have teamed up with nightclub bouncer Yilmaz Tozturkan, 53, and his son, Daniel Lins, 30, to contact the family, threatening to release the material on the dark web.

On June 3, Tozturkan reportedly contacted the family via a withheld phone number, while Lins allegedly sent images just days later and demanded payment within a month. The ransom was intended to be paid in two installments to the family’s lawyer.

However, the plot unraveled when Tozturkan and Lins were arrested by German authorities in a car park on June 19, after being placed under surveillance. Tozturkan faces charges of extortion, while Lins is accused of aiding and abetting. Fritsche was arrested two weeks later at his apartment.

The trial began on December 10 in Wuppertal, near Dusseldorf, with Fritsche facing a potentially long prison sentence if convicted. Tozturkan could face up to 15 years behind bars for the alleged attempted extortion. Prosecutors have described Fritsche’s actions as an invasion of the Schumacher family’s most personal privacy.

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