After seizing pole position for the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, Max Verstappen said talk of fatherhood slowing him down could be thrown “out of the window”.
Verstappen arrived late to Miami, missing media day to welcome his daughter Lily into the world with partner Kelly Piquet.
His Red Bull team boss, Christian Horner, and fellow F1 father Nico Hulkenberg, were quizzed on whether fatherhood would slow him down.
Both men said no and they were proved right on Saturday as Verstappen took pole, and the Dutchman responded to those curious comments when asked how communication was between himself and Piquet back home in Europe.
“It’s been good to be able to spend a few days at home before coming here,” Verstappen told select media, including Motorsport Week on Saturday.
“You know, when she’s just born, you want to make sure everything is OK.
“Clearly, it didn’t make me slower as well being a dad. So that’s a positive. We can throw that out of the window as well for people mentioning it.
“Anyway, I’m in contact a lot with my girlfriend throughout the day. Getting pictures and, you know, FaceTime a bit here and there.”
Verstappen ‘doesn’t listen to silly fatherhood claims’
Given he commented on the fatherhood pace comments without being prompted, Verstappen was later asked in the post-qualifying press conference at the Hard Rock Stadium to give his thoughts on the questions Horner and Hulkenberg faced earlier in the week.
“Yeah, I don’t really listen to these kind of silly things, you know, just do my thing,” he replied.
“I think there are enough racing drivers in the past who have been World Champion even after having kids.
“So honestly, I don’t even know where that comes from.”
So, it was business as usual for Verstappen as he took his third pole position of the year, against the odds amid impressively quick McLarens and the Mercedes of Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
“It’s been a great qualifying,” Verstappen said in parc ferme.
“I think we improved the car a tiny amount as well, which helped me to basically rotate it a bit better.
“Q1, Q2, Q3, just improving every run, really trying to find a bit more the limit.
“I had a tiny moment on my final lap into Turn 1, so I lost a bit of time there, but around here it’s just very complicated with the tures over a lap, but at the end it, yeah, it worked out well, so I’m very happy of course to to be on pole.”
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