Verstappen's absence from media day in Miami due to baby's arrival

It was the story in the Formula 1 paddock on the first day of the race weekend in Miami: Max Verstappen was not present on Thursday for his media obligations because girlfriend Kelly Piquet was delivering their first baby together. The Red Bull Racing driver has since landed in Miami, where he will 'simply' participate in the Grand Prix weekend.

Verstappen misses Miami GP media day, Kelly Piquet in labour

Usually teams share their media sessions' itinerary with the press present at the paddock to inform of when their drivers will be available for comments. All teams had shared theirs, but Red Bull's was still unaccounted for.

Yuki Tsunoda met his media obligations by himself during an American football game, which under normal circumstances he would've done alongside teammate and F1 world champion, Max Verstappen.

However, what blew the lid off the matter this deatail: Verstappen's jet was still parked in Nice, its home base, and was still not Miami bound.

One of two conclussions could be drawn from this matter. Either girlfriend Kelly Piquet had gone into labour, or the couple's first child had already been born.

The news hit the paddock and took it over. Later, a short statement issued by Red Bull confirmed that their driver would skip his media engagements because he and Piquet were expecting their first child together.

Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

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F1 drivers react to Verstappen's baby news

Sauber rookie, Gabriel Bortoleto stated to GPblog and other media present at Miami that he was actually expecting an even quicker Verstappen after he became father. The Brazilian's words were echoed by mentor and manager, Fernando Alonso who said the Dutchman would not change as a racing driver due to his first child.

Nico Hulkenberg, a known admirer of Verstappen's talent quipped that he hoped the baby was a good sleeper, alluding to the sleepless night that awaited him.

Rivals, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton congratulated the current world champion on the not yet officially confirmed news, with the new Ferrari driver emphasising how excited the Dutchman had been when the last spoke about the subject in Jeddah, not two weeks before. Russell stated that he saw no reason for Verstappen's performance in F1 to change due to his baby's arrival saying that drivers had won championships in the past after fathering children.

Verstappen arrives in Miami

No rest awaits the Dutchman in Miami. On Friday pressure will be on from the start as he and Red Bull will try to put their diva car in its best - and awfully narrow - operating window during the only practice hour of the sprint weekend, FP1, before the first relevant session gets underway: Sprint Qualifying.

However, it will be only on Saturday when drivers will again discuss their weekend's status at length, and then Verstappen will be available to answer question from media, including GPblog, about his baby's arrival.