Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen and Kelly Piquet announce daughter’s birth
Four-time defending Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen and model Kelly Piquet announced the birth of their daughter, Lily, Friday morning via social media.
“Welcome to the world, sweet Lily,” Verstappen posted on his and Piquet’s Instagram page. “Our hearts are fuller than ever — you are our greatest gift. We love you so much.”
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On a racing level, this means Verstappen will be at the Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix. He arrived Friday, as anticipated by Red Bull Racing. The team said Thursday he’d would miss the Thursday media sessions for Lily’s birth. but would be in Miami Gardens in time for Friday’s practice and qualifyng for Saturday’s F1 Sprint race.
Verstappen won the first two Miami Grand Prix races as well as the 2024 Sprint race.
On a trivia level, perhaps no baby comes into this world with more racing genes. In addition to Verstappen’s four world titles, maternal grandfather Nelson Piquet won three world titles in the 1980s.
The first “Congratulations!” on the post came from McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, the current leader in the driver standings.
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Other drivers were asked Thursday about the theory that F1 drivers aren’t as quick after becoming a father. Actually, that’s not just a theory about F1 drivers, the reasoning being you’re less likely to stay on the ragged edge necessary to be competitively fast when you have a child who would miss their parent if things go very wrong.
Kick Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, the only known father among current F1 drivers, pooh-poohed that idea.
“I feel once we step in the car — visor down, go out — even for me, I tend to forget what goes on outside because we’re just so focused and so driven to perform and maximize,” Hulkenberg said. “I just, personally, feel it’s added benefit because it’s giving me so much outside of work and outside of being in Formula 1. So, I would even say it’s kind of been helpful for me, if anything.”
Also, as Mercedes’ George Russell pointed out, more than a few world champions were fathers at the time. One of those was Lily’s grandfather, who won his third title while a father in 1987.
This story was originally published May 2, 2025 at 11:07 AM.
