Verstappen will not miss a race for the birth of his child.
Max Verstappen has stated he will not miss any races, even though his girlfriend Kelly is about to give birth to their first child together. The Dutch driver recently mentioned that the baby, who is expected to be a girl, is due "not before the start of the season." Reports suggest that the actual due date coincides with the opening race of the season in Australia in mid-March.
"It’s possible, but I won’t do it," the four-time world champion said when asked if he might skip a race to be present for the birth. "This is just part of being a Formula 1 driver," he told Algemeen Dagblad. "If it happens, it happens. I can’t control it.
"Unfortunately, Formula 1 drivers don’t have that kind of free time, but at the same time, I’m not the one giving birth. Or maybe I’ll get suspended for having too many penalty points for swearing," Verstappen joked. When inquired about how becoming a father might change him, he replied, "To be honest, I hope not much."
Amid speculation that Verstappen could activate an exit clause in his Red Bull contract after this season—potentially to avoid the team's new engine project—images emerged of him testing a Verstappen.com-liveried Aston Martin GT3 car at Paul Ricard. He acknowledged having some concerns regarding the Red Bull-Ford engine for 2026 and beyond.
"Of course, there are uncertainties," said the 27-year-old. "It’s a new manufacturer, so naturally, there are questions on your mind, and I think everyone feels that way, right? I’m not suggesting that it will be straightforward to be competitive immediately, but I believe we can do a good job, and I trust what people are saying," Verstappen added.
"I could be stressed about it, but wouldn’t that just be wasting energy? I don’t want to dwell on life too much anymore. If it’s not good, it’s not good. If it’s good, it’s good. I just have to carry on with life."
While Red Bull faced internal strife and a drop in performance in 2024, Verstappen maintains his happiness within the team. "Red Bull feels like my second family," he stated. "I can truly be myself within the team, which is very important to me. It seems like we enjoy ourselves a bit more than the average team on the grid, and I think that’s also crucial."
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Verstappen will not miss a race for the birth of his child.
Formula 1 | Max Verstappen has stated that he will not miss any races, despite his girlfriend Kelly getting ready to give birth to their first child (…)