(Motorsport-Total.com) – “Mini Verstappen-Piquet on the way! We couldn’t be happier about our little miracle!” This is what Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen announced on social networksthat he and his partner Kelly Piquet are expecting their first child together. Verstappen did not provide any additional details in his post.
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Max Verstappen with his partner Kelly Piquet
Zoom
Max Verstappen and Kelly Piquet have been a couple as autumn 2020. Both come from racing families: Max’s father, Jos verstappen, was once Michael Schumacher’s Formula 1 teammate at Benetton and was on the podium twice. Max’s mother, Sophie Kumpen, from Belgium, was a triumphant kart driver, but ended her career in motorsport prematurely for the sake of her children.
Kelly Piquet, in turn, is the daughter of three-time Formula 1 world champion, Nelson Piquet, from Brazil, who was in his last active year in 1991 when Schumacher entered Formula 1 and became a stable partner at Benetton.
And it is indeed already being confirmed that Verstappen-Piquet’s offspring could one day carry on the family tradition. Touring car driver Tom Coronel, a good friend of the Verstappen family, commented on the post with the words: “With this mix of racing driver blood, Formula 1 2041 will already be captivating! The best is yet to come for Formula 1!”
Second child for Kelly Piquet
This is Kelly Piquet’s second pregnancy: she already has a daughter from a previous relationship with former Formula 1 driver Daniil Kwjat, who was born in 2019 – shortly before the two separated again.
Kelly Piquet frequently enough wanted Max Verstappen directly on the spot. She was recently at the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix and met Verstappen’s mother, Sophie Kumpen, who was visiting the race with Verstappen’s sister, Victoria. Only Jos Verstappen’s father was missing from Qatar. By the way, future Verstappen’s grandparents have been divorced since 2008.
Fathers in Formula 1
There are already some fathers in the ranks of current Formula 1 drivers: Red Bull driver Sergio Perez and his wife Carola Martinez have two sons and a daughter.
Haas will have two active fathers in 2024: Kevin magnussen is married to louise Gjorup and the couple have two daughters, Nico Hülkenberg has a daughter from his marriage to Egle Ruskyte.
Contrary to motorsport wisdom, former Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean, a family man himself, said years ago: “Children don’t slow you down.”