Max Verstappen said his pole position for the Miami Grand Prix has “thrown out of the window” any “silly” suggestions becoming a father would slow him down.
The reigning world champion skipped media day duties on Thursday as his daughter, Lily, was born, and in his absence there was plenty of conjecture as to whether fatherhood would affect his approach to racing.
However, Verstappen blew any of those question marks with a stunning third pole position of the season as he beat Lando Norris into second place by 0.065 seconds, recovering from a 10-second time penalty in the sprint race that saw him finish 17th and last.
“I don’t really listen to these kind of silly things,” he replied when asked by Motorsport.com in the post-qualifying press conference. “I just do my thing.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: James Sutton / Motorsport Images
“I think there are enough racing drivers in the past that have been world champion even after having kids, you know. So honestly, I don’t even know where that comes from.”
One of those previous world champions to win an F1 title as a father is Nelson Piquet, grandfather of Verstappen’s daughter Lily.
Verstappen has been in touch with his new baby and her mother, Kelly Piquet, as he adjusts to life on the road as a father.
“It’s been good to be able to spend a few days at home before coming here,” he added. “You know, when she’s just born, you want to make sure everything is okay.
“Clearly, it didn’t make me slower as well, being a dad. So that’s a positive. We can throw that out of the window as well, for people mentioning it. And yeah, when I was here, honestly, just quite fluent.
“Anyway, I’m in contact a lot with my girlfriend anyway, throughout the day. You know, getting pictures and FaceTime a bit here and there. It’s always there, you know. But now, one more member in the family.”
