Max Verstappen announced at the final race of the 2024 Formula 1 season in Abu Dhabi that he was going to become a father.
The Red Bull driver is expecting his first child with girlfriend Kelly Piquet, with the pair sharing the news after he won his fourth world title in a row this year.
Even though he is only 27 years old, Verstappen is one of the most experienced drivers on the grid. Fernando Alonso made his debut before seven F1 drivers on next year’s grid were born, highlighting the staggering age difference.
Verstappen will be one of two drivers on the grid with kids, the other being Nico Hulkenberg. There is a myth that F1 drivers slow down once they become parents, but that has been rubbished by former F1 driver Robert Doornbos when speaking on the GP Fans NL podcast.
Robert Doornbos rubbishes Max Verstappen theory on becoming a father
The theory is that when F1 drivers become parents, they don’t want to push their cars to the limits they need to beat rivals.
This impacts their speed, as they become more aware of the risks involved with motorsport and the potential for serious injury. But Doornbos thinks Verstappen will not be too bothered about the issue.
Host: “The news prior to Abu Dhabi was that Verstappen is going to be a father. You are a father yourself, can you explain to make how many tenths you lose if you then sit in that car?”
Doornbos: “Well that’s nonsense actually because I think he already knew before Brazil that he was going to be a father and I think the fact that he took all the risks [there] I don’t think that’s going to be a thing [that impacts him].”
Max Verstappen is confident becoming a father won’t impact speed
Verstappen has previously stated that he has prior experience looking after a kid, with him effectively caring alongside Piquet with a child she had with former Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat.
The Dutchman is currently close to a one-race ban having racked up eight penalty points on his F1 Super Licence, and would later joke that he would try to earn a one-race ban to take some parenting leave.
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It is difficult to imagine that Verstappen will lose any speed in the next couple of years, given how dominant he has been in F1, with former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya stating that he does not think fatherhood will affect his speed.
Verstappen has entered the top three in the all-time win list with his 2023 and 2024 seasons, which earned him his third and fourth titles in succession.
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