Max Verstappen Defies Fatherhood Myths with Miami Pole Position

Max Verstappen Defies Fatherhood Myths with Miami Pole Position

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — If you were among those who thought that becoming a father might slow down Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen, you were in for a surprise on Saturday. The Dutchman delivered yet another exceptional pole position, proving that fatherhood has not dulled his competitive edge.

Earlier in the day, Verstappen had a messy sprint race, but he quickly put that behind him. By Saturday afternoon, he had snatched pole away from McLaren’s Lando Norris by a mere 0.065 seconds at the circuit that loops around the Hard Rock Stadium. It was business as usual for the four-time world champion.

With the tantalizing prospect of rain on the horizon, Verstappen’s exceptional talent could shine even brighter, making a second win of the season seem like a reasonable prediction for Sunday’s grand prix. Despite all the talk about McLaren this year, Verstappen remains a bona fide title contender, and a win on Sunday would solidify that status.

Saturday’s pole position also helped dispel a popular talking point this week. The 27-year-old arrived in Miami on Thursday night, missing media day due to the birth of his daughter Lily with girlfriend Kelly Piquet. There’s a long-standing trope in motor racing that the arrival of a driver’s first child can cost them a few tenths of a second on the track. Verstappen was quick to address this in the news conference following qualifying.

“Clearly, it didn’t make me slower being a dad, so that’s a positive,” Verstappen said. “So we can throw that out of the window as well, for people mentioning it.”

This cliche has been around for a while. Those who push it often reference a 2005 quote from Verstappen fan Fernando Alonso after his famous move around Michael Schumacher at Suzuka’s 130R corner. “I knew he would brake because he has a wife and two kids at home,” Alonso proudly stated afterward. It was a classic response born out of youthful exuberance.

Twenty years later, Alonso laughed off the quote during his media duties ahead of this weekend’s race, saying he no longer believes it to be true. The narrative exists beyond that one Alonso comment, though.

“I don’t really listen to these kind of silly things, I just do my thing,” Verstappen said. “I think there are enough racing drivers in the past who have been world champions even after having kids. Honestly, I don’t know where this has even come from.”

History supports Verstappen’s point. Lily’s grandfather Nelson Piquet is one driver who won a championship after becoming a father. Schumacher, Graham Hill, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, and Nico Rosberg have done the same.

Verstappen’s focus clearly hasn’t been affected. He mentioned in his news conference that he had been “getting pictures and on FaceTime a bit,” but it should perhaps not be surprising that a driver known for all-night gaming sessions before F1 race wins was able to maintain his performance.

Those who suggested it might be different can probably chalk it up to wishful thinking.

Lando Lottery

Away from all the dad talk is the front row: Verstappen vs Norris, a front row we got used to seeing in 2024. Fireworks often followed.

Norris admitted he was fortunate to win the sprint race several hours earlier when the safety car was deployed at the perfect moment to vault him ahead of teammate and championship leader Oscar Piastri. Twelve months ago, a safety car helped him beat Verstappen for his maiden F1 victory at the same venue.

“My luck in Miami seems pretty good at the minute, so I’m happy,” Norris said after the sprint. By contrast, Piastri said he would not be buying a lottery ticket in South Florida anytime soon.

• Luck is relative, and there might be different ways of interpreting whether Norris’ continued into Saturday’s qualifying session.
• Pole might well have been his were it not for a sluggish Turn 17 at the end of his all-important Q3 lap.
• He will take comfort from the fact that his Australian teammate starts fourth and not any higher.

Verstappen will be tricky to beat, but given the narrative around Norris’ recent wobbles, finishing ahead of Piastri feels like the more important thing he needs to do this weekend.

Of course, all of that ignores the other driver who featured prominently on Saturday.

Antonelli’s Big Weekend

The thrill of sprint pole on Friday evening quickly disappeared for Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who was muscled out of the lead at Turn 1 by Piastri on Saturday afternoon. A collision with Verstappen in the pit lane further dropped him down the order.

But that setback did not dull his momentum in qualifying, and third position was a striking way to respond. Antonelli has already impressed in his five races as a rookie, but this is the first weekend he has been consistently quicker than teammate George Russell, who until Miami has looked every bit a wildcard title outsider.

Antonelli already has a few “youngest” records to his name — Friday made him the youngest driver to claim pole for an F1 event of any kind. The man who owns a lot of the other “youngest” awards has backed the Mercedes sensation to keep on getting better.

“I’m not surprised,” Verstappen said when asked by ESPN what he thought of Antonelli’s rookie performances in Miami. “When you just start in Formula 1, there’s so much to learn, and to already be at this pace is very impressive, but I’m not surprised. He’ll only get better, to be honest. I think it’s as simple as that.”

Asked the same question, Norris joked, “I think that fed his ego enough!”

Norris then added: “I think similar thing. He’s in Formula 1 for a reason. Everything else he did in his car racing career has been very strong. He’s got a very good teammate, a teammate that beat Lewis [Hamilton] over the last couple years, so if he’s now able to beat that teammate — being George [Russell] — then he’s clearly doing a very good job.”

On hearing the two drivers’ comments, Antonelli then held his microphone up and said, “Too kind!”