Red Bull’s F1 star Max Verstappen adjusts to life as a father, and looks ahead

NEW YORK – This spring, Max Verstappen’s life changed, though not as drastically as some may have been assumed.

The 27-year-old Dutchman and his partner, Kelly Piquet, announced the birth of their daughter, Lily, before the Miami Grand Prix in May. The baby’s arrival triggered questions about how it might affect Verstappen’s performance.

After securing pole position a day later, he joked: “Clearly it didn’t make me slower, being a dad.”

Adjusting to a newborn has not been a shock, Verstappen said. Although his news conferences can seem tense at times, he was relaxed as he discussed this new chapter of his life.

Having a young child around is not actually new for Verstappen, as he has been in the life of Penelope – the daughter of Piquet and former Formula One driver Daniil Kvyat – since she was a year old.

“You get to understand how to live with a little one,” he said, “and I think that has prepared me quite well for my own little girl.”

Racing is the only life Verstappen has known. He comes from a racing family: His mother, Sophie, competed in karting until her initial retirement in the 1990s, and his father, Jos, became an F1 driver.

Max became used to seeing Jos leave for a race weekend and admits he was “quite upset about it because I wanted to join, but it also makes you understand what you have to do”.

Sophie then took “care of things at home”. And Piquet saw a similar dynamic in her own family, with her father, Nelson, a three-time F1 world champion.

“It’s all very natural,” Verstappen said. “It helps a lot.”

There are two big lessons he took from his childhood: Finding free time in everyday life and having an understanding partner.

Over the past year, speculation has swirled around whether Verstappen might retire early.

He is contracted with Red Bull through 2028, but that has not stopped the rumour mill. But he has reaffirmed his commitment to the team, saying he would still be with them in 2026.

To Verstappen, his future ultimately boils down to whether he can give 100 per cent and still have fun doing so.

“People sometimes hang around maybe to create more money, but at the end of the day, that doesn’t come first. It’s important you’re here because of the hunger to win,” Verstappen said.

“As long as I can do that, and I’m working with the people that I enjoy working with, then yeah, we’ll drive. I don’t know when that will stop. Is that 32? Is that 35, 36? I don’t know.

“It’s impossible to know.”

Verstappen will be 31 by the end of the 2028 season, with 14 years in F1, after starting at the age of 17. By comparison, Lewis Hamilton is 40 years old with 19 years in F1, while Fernando Alonso is 44 with 22 seasons.

But the conversation on retirement is more than just age.

“I feel like I’m already missing out so much on just being with my family,” Verstappen said, including his parents, siblings and friends.

“I spend holidays with them, but I really miss the moments of just casually rocking up for a weekend or just hanging out on the couch, sitting together on a lazy day, or just after a normal workday. These kinds of moments are not possible with my life.”

Throughout Verstappen’s various career chapters, he has enjoyed consistent success.

He won his first F1 race during his first grand prix weekend with Red Bull, after spending his first season and four more races at their junior team, and he holds the record for the most consecutive F1 wins at 10.

But 2025 is new, as Red Bull endure a downturn in performance.

Even without winning consistently, is Verstappen still having fun?

“I’m having enough fun, yes,” he said. “Some bits are not fun, but the most important thing that I enjoy is driving the car. And that is fun.”

And the approach to handling criticism boils down to, as he put it, “I don’t care.”

“I know what I have done to get here,” he said.

“I’ve known what I have achieved already in this sport, and I focus on myself, the people close to me. The team and family. I do what I have to do on track and then, besides that, just live my life outside of it with all my passions.” NYTIMES