Max Verstappen has secured his first pole position as a new father. His daughter Lily was born this week, but the Dutchman has not slowed down due to the newest member of his family. At the Miami International Autodrome, Verstappen was even six hundredths of a second faster than his closest competitor, Lando Norris. “So we can dismiss that assumption,” concludes Verstappen.
Only six hundredths of a second separated Max Verstappen and second-place Lando Norris. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who earlier this Grand Prix weekend took the sprint pole, also fell short of beating the Dutchman. After Verstappen did not manage to get higher than the fourth starting position during the sprint qualification, his pole position now proves that there is no truth in the persistent assumption that drivers with children would be slower.
“It was nice to be able to spend a few days at home before I arrived here,” Verstappen begins in the press conference when asked about the birth of his daughter. “Fatherhood clearly hasn’t slowed me down, so we can dismiss that assumption. Besides, I am now obviously in frequent contact with my girlfriend, and many photos are coming through. That was always the case, but now of course there is an extra member in the family.”
‘A Silly Notion’
The assumption that drivers who have become fathers are slower than their childless colleagues does not come entirely out of the blue. This superstition originates from a daring overtaking maneuver by Fernando Alonso on Michael Schumacher during the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix. A maneuver in the infamous 130R turn earned the Spaniard a podium place. After the race, journalists at Suzuka asked how Alonso knew the action would not result in a crash. “I knew he (Schumacher) would brake because he has a wife and two children at home,” said a young Alonso.
However, Verstappen labels this superstition as ‘a silly notion’. “I don’t listen to it, and just do my own thing. There are plenty of drivers who have won championships in the past, even when they had children. So I have no idea where that comes from.” If the Dutchman wants to win a championship this year, however, something needs to happen at Red Bull. “We need to make fewer mistakes, and deliver better performances. That’s not very easy, but we have to keep working.”
