
Max Verstappen is making a late arrival ahead of the Miami Grand Prix on Thursday due to the imminent birth of his first child with partner Kelly Piquet.
The couple announced they were expecting at the end of last year, and with Piquet’s due date falling very close to the race in Miami, Verstappen remained in Europe longer than usual this week. As a result, the defending champion will not arrive until late on Thursday, meaning that he will miss Thursday’s media commitments but will be ready for the start of on-track action on Friday.
“Max will not be attending media day in Miami as he is expecting a baby,” Red Bull confirmed. “All is well and he will attend track tomorrow for the race weekend. We will not be offering any further comment at this time in respect towards the privacy of Max and his family.”
Piquet already has a daughter, Penelope, from her previous relationship with former Formula 1 driver Daniil Kvyat, who has been present at races supporting Verstappen in the past.
Verstappen will become the second father currently racing in Formula 1 after Nico Hulkenberg.
“It was a fun fact that I was the only one since Checo and K-Mag left at the end of last year, I was the only dad,” Hulkenberg said. “So yeah, he’s joining that club. I hope it’s a good sleeper! We’ve been quite fortunate and lucky. But I think there’s lots to discover – many beautiful, nice things that come with that . So I’m sure he’ll enjoy it.