Max Verstappen’s girlfriend Kelly Piquet has offered a rare insight into her life as the Dutchman’s partner. The 36-year-old, who is the daughter of three-time world champion Nelson Piquet, has been dating Verstappen for around five years. There is a nine-year age gap between the pair, but their relationship continues to go from strength to strength.
The happy couple recently welcomed their first child, Lily, shortly before the Miami Grand Prix. Piquet was already a mother to another daughter, Penelope, from her previous relationship with former F1 driver Daniil Kvyat. She rarely appears in the media but has offered fans a glimpse of her life with Verstappen in a new interview.
Speaking to Portuguese broadcaster TVI, the model and blogger revealed that she shares the same passion for motorsport as her boyfriend, having grown up around F1 thanks to her famous father.
“I breathe motorsport,” said Piquet. “It’s something that comes naturally to me. And in the end, I’ve started a family with an F1 driver. Well, not married yet, but we’ve started a family.
“It wasn’t planned on purpose. I’ve had several relationships with men who weren’t in that field, but it was just meant to be.”
Piquet also revealed that her daughter Lily was born earlier than expected. It was the assumption that Penelope’s half-sister was born on the Thursday before the Miami Grand Prix.
However, she explained that Lily came into the world six weeks ago, meaning it was a week before the race. Verstappen, therefore, was able to spend crucial time with his baby daughter before heading to Miami.
Speaking afterwards, he said: “Luckily, I got to spend a few days with them once she was born. I’m kind of like a bonus dad already with my girlfriend having a daughter, so I saw her grow up since she was one.”
For several years, Piquet has been the target of abuse from online trolls due to her relationship with Verstappen. She lashed out at them in an Instagram post earlier this year, with the Dutchman also firing back at those peddling ‘false accusations’.
Piquet wrote: “As a human being, the comments and hate affect me and the people around me deeply. I hope this serves as a reminder for people to verify online content before making threats.
“I hope those of you who have contributed to this take a moment to reflect on the real-life consequences of spreading lies and engaging in hate.”
Verstappen added: “This has to stop. These false accusations by certain individuals on Instagram and TikTok are insane and ridiculous at the same time.
“Hate has no place in this world. We know what’s true within our family and we are very happy together. I love you.”