The couple have remained secretive about the due date, but former Formula One driver and friend of Verstappen, Giedo van der Garde, might have dropped a big clue surrounding the birth.
Speaking to Viaplay about baby Verstappen, he said: “That little one is due sometime in April if all goes well. But yes, he has to do those races anyway.” The bad news for Verstappen is that April is set to be one of the busiest months on the Formula One calendar.
Three races have been scheduled for April, including the Japanese Grand Prix, Bahrain Grand Prix and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. What’s more, the trio of races are all on consecutive weekends, meaning if partner Kelly did go into labour during that spell, Verstappen and the Red Bull hierarchy would have a decision to make about him leaving camp to go and visit his newborn.
Looking at the big picture, Verstappen could do with competing in all three of the April races, given it looks like Red Bull could be up against it this season. Despite winning four title wins in a row, the 27-year-old is unlikely to start the new campaign as favourite, with the bookies instead favouring last year’s runner-up Norris.
On the upcoming campaign, ex-driver David Coulthard believes the target on Verstappen’s back is bigger than ever. He said: “As a side of that perception, the drivers that see an opportunity will probably just go for it with Max, because of his perception.
“It’s the same way I would approach Michael in a different way than I would Mika [Hakkinen] or Jean Alesi or guys that were very straightforward to race with if there was an opportunity.
“Michael [Schumacher] was a lot more complicated to race with, because he was he was just so uncompromising. But you just had to play that into your performance profile if you found yourself fighting over the same piece of race track.”
Racing for the 2025 season gets underway in Australia later this month.
