Max Verstappen has become a father. © APA/afp / PAUL CROCK

Verstappen becomes a father for the first time: “Our greatest gift”

Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen has become a father for the first time. His girlfriend Kelly Piquet, daughter of former Brazilian world champion Nelson Piquet, gave birth to a girl.

02 May 2025

From: dpa/sn

"Welcome to the world, sweet Lily," the 27-year-old Dutchman wrote on Instagram, adding: "You are our greatest gift. We love you so much."

One photo showed a baby's hand clasping an adult's finger. Piquet also shared the image on her Instagram account. Verstappen had postponed his trip to the Miami Grand Prix due to the impending birth. He skipped the usual media rounds on Thursday, wanting to be in Florida in time for practice on Friday.

The four-time champion and Kelly Piquet have been a couple since 2020. The 36-year-old Brazilian already has a daughter from a previous relationship with former Russian Formula 1 driver Daniil Kvyat. Verstappen once described him as a kind of "bonus dad." The four-time world champion is also often very affectionate with his stepdaughter at the racetracks.

Motorsport genes in your blood?

Last December, at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, Verstappen and Piquet announced the Brazilian's renewed pregnancy. "Mini Verstappen-Piquet on the way. We couldn't be happier with our little miracle," they wrote at the time.

Given the parents' close ties to motorsport, some speculated that their offspring would be born with racing potential. If the grandfather is a three-time world champion and the father a four-time world champion, then there must be a certain genetic potential, said Red Bull's motorsport advisor Helmut Marko, a close confidant of Max Verstappen.

Max Verstappen and Kelly Piquet have become parents together for the first time. © GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / MARK THOMPSON

Verstappen himself, whose father Jos was also a Formula 1 driver and still competes in rallying, declared before the season that the birth of his child would not change anything in terms of racing. He can already prove that this weekend in Miami. The defending champion currently sits third in the overall standings (87 points) in his Red Bull, behind McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri (99) and Lando Norris (89).