After every Formula 1 race, driver Jeroen Bleekemolen shares his observations in an exclusive column for Formule1.nl. Who or what caught his attention, what went well, and what needs to change? This time, the GP of Miami: about the nonsense of questions regarding Max Verstappen‘s fatherhood and whether the Dutchman still stands a chance against Oscar Piastri this season…
A racing father. That’s what Max Verstappen has become after the birth of his daughter Lily. And so, you knew they were going to come up again in Miami: the questions about whether you drive slower as a racing father. I always find these questions such nonsense, including the ones Verstappen gets. The story then goes that you supposedly drive a tenth of a second slower. Of course, that’s nonsense.
I think: who comes up with something like this? I can also imagine that drivers really don’t like getting these kinds of questions, because they simply don’t make any sense. And all the more beautiful it was that Max then simply put that Red Bull on pole position in the qualification. Take that! Of course, McLaren should have conquered that spot in terms of speed, but again Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri make mistakes. And Max doesn’t. He’s as sharp as a knife, flawless, and then strikes mercilessly.
The beautiful thing is that he then made a comment himself about those questions whether you become slower as a racing father. The pole position proved enough according to Max. With that, those questions are immediately a thing of the past. And thankfully so.
I have also experienced it myself, being a driver and becoming a father. Did I then drive slower? No, on the contrary. I thought it was great, just had a baby and I was feeling great. It gave me extra strength, extra motivation.
Fatherhood itself can certainly influence you: you change as a person, just by getting older. And also when you have children. But that’s different for everyone. But that it makes you slower, no.
Perhaps for one driver, for example, getting less sleep as a father can have an impact. But not with someone like Max. He really doesn’t care whether he sleeps three hours or six hours; he performs anyway. You also see it with the combination of sim racing.
A Lando Norris who sleeps poorly, yes, he might be affected…
But okay, Norris did well in the sprint race in Miami, Oscar Piastri did even better in the Grand Prix. That Max finishes fourth, that’s simply because the Red Bull isn’t fast enough. We know that, but you saw it again in Miami. McLaren is so much faster, in this way I see Piastri becoming champion without too much trouble.
For Max and Red Bull, it’s hoping for a change. But even then: maybe the gap will be so big by that time that it’s already too late. But that won’t be due to his fatherhood, thankfully we’re done with those questions.
