Kelly Piquet has a hilarious one-word reaction to her friends holding Max Verstappen placards at Miami Grand Prix

TOI Sports Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / May 6, 2025, 03:30 IST

Text Size

Small
Medium
Large

Despite missing the Miami Grand Prix podium after securing pole position, Max Verstappen received support from Kelly Piquet and her friends, who celebrated his new fatherhood with humorous signs. Verstappen dismissed concerns about his performance being affected by becoming a dad, proving his speed during qualifying. The couple recently welcomed their daughter, Lily, on May 2nd.

Kelly Piquet has a hilarious one-word reaction to her friends holding Max Verstappen placards at Miami Grand Prix

Image credit: Instagram

Max Verstappen was left frustrated after losing out on the podium at the Miami Grand Prix despite securing pole position in qualifying. But his girlfriend, Kelly Piquet, made sure to lift his spirits by sharing a hilarious post on Instagram. The two recently welcomed a baby girl between the Miami Grand Prix sessions and have named her Lily. While Kelly couldn’t make it to the race in person, her friends made an effort to cheer for him and fill in for her absence.

Kelly Piquet’s friends cheered for Max Verstappen in style

Taking to her Instagram Stories after the race, Kelly Piquet shared her friend Xenia Adonts’ Instagram post, which showed two women holding placards in support of Max Verstappen. One of the placards read “Baby’s first podium,” while the other said, “Go Max Daddy Go.” Reacting to her friend’s hilarious post, Kelly simply wrote, “Dead.”

Verstappen and Piquet had announced the birth of their daughter on May 2. A monochrome picture showed a baby’s hand holding her parent’s finger. Another showed Verstappen looking at Lily while Piquet held her in her arms. The Red Bull driver wrote alongside the pictures, “Welcome to the world, sweet Lily. Our hearts are fuller than ever – you are our greatest gift. We love you so much.”

As soon as Verstappen became a father, many raised doubts that it could impact the reigning No. 1 driver’s performance. But he proved them wrong by securing pole position in the qualifying session at the Miami Grand Prix.
He went on to shut down any doubts about fatherhood affecting his form. “Clearly, it didn't make me slower being a dad, so that's a positive. So we can throw that out of the window as well, for people mentioning it. I don't really listen to these kinds of silly things, I just do my thing," he told the media, including ESPN.
Also Read: Red Bull boss Christian Horner says Max Verstappen’s baby girl has incredible genes: “If it was a racehorse, it’d be worth a fortune”
It was McLaren’s Lando Norris who said after Verstappen’s pole win, “Congrats to Max, especially being a dad now. I was hoping it would slow him down!”
Up next is the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, from May 16–18.

About the Author

TOI Sports Desk

The TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the essence of live sporting events and deliver compelling content to readers worldwide. From running live blogs for India and non-India cricket matches to global spectacles featuring Indian talents, like the Chess World Cup final featuring Praggnanandhaa and the Badminton World Championships semifinal featuring HS Prannoy, our live coverage extends to all mega sporting events. We extensively cover events like the Olympics, Asian Games, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, and more. The desk is also adept at writing comprehensive match reports and insightful post-match commentary, complemented by stats-based articles that provide an in-depth analysis of player performances and team dynamics. We track news wires for key stories, conduct exclusive player interviews in both text and video formats, and file content from print editions and reporters. We keep track of all viral stories, trending topics and produce our own copies on the subjects. We deliver accurate, engaging, and up-to-the-minute sports content, round the clock.

End of Article