"I’m not the father, that’s not the aim": When Max Verstappen explained his relationship with Kelly Piquet's daughter Penelope Kvyat
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen had previously claimed that his aim with his relationship with his girlfriend Kelly Piquet's daughter Penelope was "not to be a father". The Dutchman started dating former three-time world champion Nelson Piquet's daughter Kelly in late 2020.
The 35-year-old model had previously been in a relationship with former Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat from 2015 to 2019 and they share a five-year-old daughter, Penelope. But ever since she started dating Verstappen in 2020, the pair moved in with the Dutch driver in his home in Monaco and have lived a content life.
Speaking with Time last year, Max Verstappen had mentioned that it was not his aim to be Penelope's father as she already had one, saying:
“I’m not the father, that’s not the aim. It’s always very important that she has a good relationship with her own father, which she has. But I see her every day when I’m at home. We get on very well. She’s very cute.”
The five-year-old is quite fond of the Red Bull driver, given she adorably cheers for the latter as was evident during this year's Japanese GP in the park ferme.
Max Verstappen delves into his dynamic with Kelly Piquet's family
Three-time world champion revealed that he extends his time in Brazil whenever he comes for the annual race at Interlagos given that he gets to spend more time with his girlfriend's family.
As per GPBlog, the 27-year-old spoke about his in-laws and reflected:
"Of course, my family-in-law is Brazilian. And yeah, I appreciate it a lot, meeting all of them all the time when I'm coming over. You know, it's quite a travel from Europe, but we always try to combine it with the Grand Prix and stay a bit longer. Also for Kelly, to spend more time with the family. I've been really welcomed very nicely within the family. "
"Of course, there's a massive history as well with racing within the family, so it's really cool. Honestly, I really enjoy being around the Brazilian mentality as well. I think it suits me quite well. My Portuguese is still very bad, so maybe when I stop racing on F1, I need to take some lessons."
Kelly Piquet's family was recently spotted at the 2024 Brazilian GP as they cheered on Max Verstappen's P17 to P1 finish in the treacherous conditions in the main race.
Last week, the pair celebrated their fourth anniversary as a couple as the Brazilian model posted a picture with the soon-to-be four-time world champion on her Instagram Stories. But Verstappen claimed that he wasn't feeling too pressured to get married and mentioned that he was "very, very happy with Kelly, but personally, I don’t have a timetable for when I’ll get down on one knee in front of her."