Schumacher's ex-manager SLAMS F1 legend's daughter's name-change

Michael Schumacher's ex-manager has questioned the F1 legend's daughter's decision to change her name following her marriage last month.

Schumacher's daughter Gina tied the knot with her boyfriend Iain Bethke at the family's luxury £27m villa in Majorca at the end of September.

The couple said 'I do' under an arch of flowers at Villa Yasmin, the property seven-time F1 world champion Schumacher's wife Corinna is understood to have bought in 2017 from Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.

Willi Weber, 82, was not even invited to celebrate the marriage of Schumacher's daughter despite being his manager throughout his career and has now hit out at the decision for Gina to change her name.

As reported by Bild, Gina Schumacher decided to take her husband's name on her Facebook profile last week - which now reads as Gina Bethke.

In response, Weber said: 'Why would you just drop such a big name? I don't understand it!' 

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Michael Schumacher's daughter Gina ties the knot with boyfriend Iain Bethke

'Giving up a name like that. It's a brand. It's connected to her father. I wouldn't have done that. But that's her decision! The other is my opinion.'

However, it appears that Weber may have been slightly off the mark in his criticisms.

Gina, who has earned a solid reputation as an equestrian, opted for the name 'Gina Schumacher Bethke' when she competed in a recent tournament in Texas.

However, Bild further claim that, among her circle of friends, she goes by 'Gina Bethke', supporting Weber's claims. 

Her name on Instagram remains as 'Gina Schumacher'. 

She lives with her husband Iain in Gordonville, Texas, where the couple runs a ranch and breeds Quarter Horses.

At the start of the month, Weber revealed that he would not have been able to attend the ceremony anyway due to health issues and opened up on why he's already 'said goodbye to Michael'. 

Speaking to Bild, he said: ‘I’m thinking about my successes with Michael – our goals and our victories. I remember Michael the way he was. And we probably won’t see each other again.

‘It was my fault that I didn’t visit Michael after the accident and stand by him. Because I thought the media reports were exaggerated.

‘I thought I’d better wait a few days and then everything would be fine. But it was too late. For a long time I blamed myself for not reacting immediately.

‘Since then, I’ve said goodbye to Michael in my heart in order to find my peace again.’

There is no bad blood between Weber and Schumacher, 55, who has not appeared publicly since suffering a serious head injury while skiing in the French resort of Meribel in 2013. 

‘I have had no contact with the family for over ten years, I can barely remember what even happened,’ he added.

‘I was not invited to the wedding, but I would not have gone anyway because my health is not good at the moment. I would not have wanted to fly to Mallorca.

‘Michael was one of my best friends. More like a son that I never had. Nobody knows exactly what’s going on with him today, so I don’t want to comment any further.’ 

BILD has claimed that it is 'very likely' Michael was at his daughter's wedding despite his health.

Guests are said to have included Michael's brother Ralf and his partner Etienne Bosquet-Cassagne, who have been embroiled in a row with the former's ex-wife Cora over her claims she felt 'stabbed in the heart' after finding out he was gay. 

The villa has a landing pad and he is regularly flown from to the villa in Port d'Andratx from the family home by Lake Geneva in Switzerland. 

It is part of a 15,000 square metre estate which boasts two swimming pools, a helipad, a gym and a huge palm-tree-fringed garden.