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“Max Verstappen knows Kelly Piquet is waiting for him at home”- Red Bull ace’s mother explains how his girlfriend gives him family feeling which he never had in childhood

Somin Bhattacharjee
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"Max Verstappen knows Kelly Piquet is waiting for him at home"- Red Bull ace's mother explains how Verstappen's stable personal life helps him flourish in Formula 1

At just the age of 24, Max Verstappen has already had a glittering Formula 1 career and won the 2021 World Championship. 

Verstappen has been in F1 since 2015, when he made his debut with Toro Rosso. After just a season and a half, he landed himself a Red Bull seat and won his first race with the team.

Fast forward to 2022, he’s now the reigning World Champion and the most successful Red Bull drier in terms of number of podium finishes. A quality for which the 24-year old has always been praised for is his maturity. Even while competing at a young age, he seemed unfazed by all the pressure and expectation surrounding him.

Verstappen has been in a relationship with Kelly Piquet, daughter of three time F1 World Champion Nelson Piquet since 2020. She has publicly supported and defended him numerous times over the course of these years.

The Dutch driver’s mother Sophie Kumpen feels that having her in his life, has helped him flourish in Formula 1.

Also read: “Bad day to be a Ferrari fan” – F1 Twitter anguished as Charles Leclerc takes grid penalty; drops to back of Canada GP grid

Max Verstappen really missed having a proper family as child

Verstappen’s dad Jos and his mother separated when he was very young. Since then, he lived with his father whereas his sister Victoria lived with his mom. Throughout his childhood, he had to travel across the world, living out of a suitcase as he chased his dream of becoming an F1 driver.

Hard work did pay off for him, as he made it to the pinnacle of motorsport. However, what helps him stay on top of his game is knowing that he has his own family waiting at home for him now, when’s back from races.

“Kelly is of course a bit older,” his mother said. “She has a little child. They’ve created some sort of a little family. And I think that Max maybe missed that when he was young. And I also think such stability has helped him in F1, as he knows that someone is waiting for him at home.”

“She (Kelly Piquet) also comes from a racing family”, Kumpen continued. “So she understands everything. When you see how sweet she is to her child. But also for his sister and for me, he has his heart in the right place.”

Also read: “Pierre Gasly is a fantastic driver and will race for AlphaTauri in 2023”: Is Red Bull academy graduate set to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2024?

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Somin Bhattacharjee is an F1 editor at The SportsRush and has written more than 2000 articles. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and considers sports to be a part of his life. Somin has been a fan of Scuderia Ferrari since 2010 and his favorite driver is none another than the legendary Fernando Alonso. Other than longing for a Ferrari Championship win once again, Somin spends his free time playing football and basketball.

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