Max Verstappen is highly secretive, yet some details of his personal life are public.
Kelly Piquet, the daughter of ex-F1 driver Nelson Piquet, is Verstappen’s girlfriend and is frequently in the front row of celebrations when he wins races.
Kelly has a four-year-old daughter whose father is Daniil Kyvat, the Red Bull driver who replaced Verstappen.
Verstappen told TIME in a rare admission about his personal connections, “I’m not the father, that’s not the goal.”
“It’s always critical that she has a positive relationship with her father, which she does.”
“But I see her every day when I’m at home. We get on very well. She’s very cute.”
Verstappen’s main hobby away from the F1 track is simulator racing.
It means that, even when he’s not racing… he’s still racing.
“I watch other sports, but there’s nothing really that I’m really passionate about,” Verstappen said.
Kelly Piquet said about his dedication: “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.”
