Far from slowing Max Verstappen down, fatherhood has enhanced his performance, according to Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko and McLaren rival Lando Norris.
Verstappen, who missed Thursday's media day in Miami to spend time with his newborn daughter Lily in Monaco, bounced back from a challenging sprint race to claim pole position for the Miami Grand Prix. "I was hoping he was going to slow down a little bit," McLaren's Lando Norris, who qualified second, said with a smile, "but clearly he didn't."
Just two weeks ago, Verstappen was incensed by a 5-second penalty in Saudi Arabia, but Marko noted a marked change in the 27-year-old's demeanour in Miami.
"He is completely relaxed and is enjoying being a father," the 82-year-old told Sky Deutschland. "He showed me the pictures of the little one, with the dog and the cat. He is happy, and you can tell. And Max has not become three tenths slower, but two tenths faster," Marko laughed.
Speaking to Viaplay, Verstappen shared that he and girlfriend Kelly Piquet chose a straightforward name for their daughter. "At some point Lily just sounded nice," he said. "Nice and short, and she doesn't have a middle name, just Lily and the last name."
It remains unclear whether the full name is Lily Verstappen or Lily Verstappen-Piquet. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff quipped about the marketing potential, saying, "If she were to call herself Piquet-Verstappen, that's great for marketing."
Verstappen clarified that, despite Lily's birth in Monaco, she will not hold Monegasque citizenship like Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. "She will get a Dutch and Brazilian passport," he said. "Let's just keep it simple," he smiled.
He admitted to leaving parental duties like changing diapers largely to Piquet so far, laughing, "Kelly had everything under control."
Verstappen also joked that her pregnancy indirectly affected his own habits. "I have also been a bit pregnant, so I am a bit at the limit with my weight," he said. "Now I just have to brake a bit later in turn 1."
