Max Verstappen baby update issued as F1 champion absent from Miami Grand Prix press conference

Red Bull have issued an update on the impending arrival of baby Verstappen as father Max was absent from the pre-race press conferences ahead of this weekend's Miami Grand Prix.

On Thursday, Red Bull released a statement providing fans with an update which read: "Max will not be attending media day in Miami as he is expecting a baby."

"All is well and he will attend track tomorrow for the race weekend. We will not be offering any further comment at this time in respect towards the privacy of Max and his family."

The 64-time race winner has made no secret of his excitement ahead of the upcoming arrival, joking that he will have to find a way to cope with months of sleepless nights.

It is standard practice for different drivers to be chosen to field questions from the media, and the defending Formula 1 world champion was not one of those selected this time around.

Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris are among the big names set to make an appearance, with George Russell and Yuki Tsunoda also featuring.

Press conferences (all times GMT)

Verstappen's last outing in front of assembled journalists came following the Saudi Arabia GP, where a five-second penalty in the early stages saw him give up the lead to Oscar Piastri, who went on to win his third race of the campaign and take top spot in the drivers' standings.

After the race, a clearly disgruntled Verstappen refused to comment, insisting that it would be better for everyone concerned - most notably the FIA - if he didn't offer his verdict on the decision.

Verstappen is no stranger to falling foul of the sport's governing body, having hit out at its efforts to clamp down on drivers swearing just months after he received a community service-style punishment for using bad language.

Baby Verstappen on the way?

Any ongoing gripe with the FIA, however, has been put firmly on the backburner, with the arrival of his first child with partner Kelly Piquet expected imminently.

It had been suggested that he would be forced to miss some races following the birth, but Verstappen insisted he had no plans to do so.

He is currently third in the championship going into this weekend's race in Florida, where he aims to secure just a second win of what has been a largely frustrating season to date.

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