Max Verstappen and girlfriend Kelly Piquet welcome their first child together

Jackie Longo

Max Verstappen and girlfriend Kelly Piquet welcome their first child together  image

Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen just became a father. 

He announced the baby's birth with girlfriend, Brazilian model Kelly Piquet, 36, on Friday, May 2 on Instagram

The baby's name is Lilly. 

The F1 driver, 27, captioned the post, "Welcome to the world, sweet lily. Our hearts are fuller than ever - you are our greatest gift. We love you so much." 

Lilly is the first child for Vestappen. 

Piquet has a daughter, Penelope, with another Formula 1 driver, Danniil Kvyat. Piquet separated from Kvyat shortly after the baby's birth in 2019.

She's been in a relationship with Verstappen since 2021. 

Piquet is the daughter of three-time Formula 1 world champion Nelson Piquet

Max Verstappen skipped Miami Grand Prix media day ahead of child's birth

Max Verstappen

Verstappen's first child was born shortly after he missed a scheduled media day for the Miami Grand Prix, which is this weekend. 

The Red Bull Racing driver was not in attendance on Thursday with the other drivers. 

Red Bull released a statement earlier this week notifying the media that Verstappen would miss pre-race media sessions but would be in Miami in time for the opening practice session of the sprint weekend. 

The statement said "all is well" and asked for "respect towards the privacy of Max and his family."

The Miami Grand Prix will kick off at Miami International Autodrome with a practice session on Friday, May 2. Saturday will see the sprint race followed by qualifying for the Miami GP.

It is the second sprint race of the season.

Max Verstappen Chinese Grand Prix 040925

Jackie Longo

Jackie is a freelance writer and editor with The Sporting News. She has covered sports, entertainment and lifestyle for over a decade. She has written for a number of outlets including Business Insider, The Sun, Travel+Leisure and Heavy. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from West Virginia University and resides in Charlotte, NC.