Max Verstappen shares his honest opinion on his relationship with Kelly Piquet

Max Verstappen has been in a relationship with the Brazilian model and columnist Kelly Piquet since 2021. He has been very vocal about his relationship with Kelly and Nelson Piquet’s daughter. Verstappen shares a warm and close bond with his partner’s daughter, Penelope. She is often seen by the Red Bull driver’s side and seems to have formed a strong bond with the child as well. Kelly was previously in a relationship with Nelson, which came to an end in 2019.  

It is often seen that Penelope is by the side of the 26-year-old driver while he has been streaming live on Twitch, where he often engages in his stimulator gaming. Fans have often highlighted that Max Verstappen has a very good bond with Penelope, meanwhile, the Red Bull driver also highlighted that he is not trying to take the place of her father. He also highlighted that he shares a good relationship with the four-year-old but also believes it is important for her to have a good relationship with her father.  

'I'm not the father, that's not the aim'

While speaking to TIME, Verstappen said, “I’m not the father, that’s not the aim. It’s always very important that she has a good relationship with her own father, which she has. But I see her every day when I’m at home. We get on very well. She’s very cute.” 

Verstappen also shares his passion for the sport. He is often seen practicing in his simulator with the four-year-old kid by his side. Be it in the virtual world or in the real world, Verstappen has always been fast and smooth at racing. He said, “I watch other sports, but there’s nothing really that I’m really passionate about.” 

Owing to this, Kelly recently had an interaction with TIME, she said, she often has to remind the Red Bull driver that there are other things to focus. “There have been times where I’ve been like, ‘OK, time to switch off’. You have to give a gentle reminder that the sun is shining outside and, you know, there are other things to do.”