The four-time world champion racing driver welcomed his first child, daughter Lily, with his longtime partner Kelly Piquet in May 2025
Credit: Max Verstappen/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
- Max Verstappen says becoming a father to daughter Lily has shifted his priorities and changed his view on racing
- The Formula 1 champion welcomed Lily with longtime partner Kelly Piquet in May 2025 ahead of the Miami Grand Prix
- Verstappen shared how fatherhood has deepened his bond with his own dad and influenced thoughts on retirement
Max Verstappen has achieved a number of wins throughout his decorated Formula 1 career, but none of them compare to the special one that came into his life last year.
When asked what was his greatest prize , the four-time world champion racing driver, 28, cited his firstborn child, daughter Lily, who he welcomed with his longtime partner Kelly Piquet in May 2025.
“It’s that little one at home. That’s the best and most important thing. Our daughter Lily is my greatest prize. Family is by far the most important thing to me,” Verstappen told Formule 1 magazine on Tuesday, Aug. 4 of his little girl.
Credit: Mark Thompson/Getty
Lily was born ahead of the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, and approximately one year later at the same event, Verstappen opened up to PEOPLE exclusively about how his perspective on his career and future has changed since becoming a father.
“More nerve wracking, I guess, as a parent,” he told PEOPLE trackside at the Red Bull Energy Station.
Earlier this season, Verstappen opened up about the possibility of retirement since welcoming his daughter. He also told PEOPLE how his relationship with his own dad has changed since entering parenthood himself.
Credit: Max Verstappen/Instagram
“It’s a really cool story to be able to have done that together,” he shared. “It’s probably something that we will think about and cherish for life. You give up a lot of your time to try and get to your end goal, and of course we’ve done that, we did that.”
“It’s still a very beautiful story,” added the Red Bull Racing athlete.
Verstappen, who said becoming a father is something he has “always wanted,” shared with PEOPLE at the Miami Grand Prix how parenthood has shifted his priorities and how it has changed the way he views racing.
“For me, it’s just really nice to be able to spend time now together,” he said at the time. “And also, for me, racing is fun, it’s great, but it’s also a nice thing to be home.”
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Credit: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty
Verstappen, 28, who made his relationship with Piquet, 37, public in 2020, admitted there have been “no real surprises” since Lily was born. “I just love it,” he said.
He emphasized, “I mean, it’s just great to be able to spend time at home.”
Verstappen is embracing the girl dad life, and Lily’s feelings towards the racer seem to be reciprocated.
“She seems to like me a lot, so that’s good,” he said. “We spend a lot of private time at home, so it’s just really cute.”
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