Kelly Piquet irritated by Max Verstappen's Nurburgring bid: 'Do you have to?'

Kelly Piquet deelt foto met dochter Lily en ontvangt reactie van Sophie Kumpen — Photo: © IMAGO

Max Verstappen

Kelly Piquet irritated by Max Verstappen's Nurburgring bid: 'Do you have to?'

Verstappen has been using the F1 break to race at the Nurburgring

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Saturday 18 April 2026 21:58

Kelly Piquet was not too thrilled when she learned that her partner and F1 champion Max Verstappen was filling his scarce free weekends this spring with extra racing events at the Nurburgring.

Although Verstappen cherishes time with his family in Monaco, this season the 28-year-old Dutchman has been balancing his Formula 1 commitments with an intensive endurance racing program at the iconic German track.

This weekend, he is racing again in the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie, sharpening his skills ahead of the 24 Hours Nurburgring in May in the NLS4 and NLS5 rounds. Saturday's NLS4 race though was cancelled after less than 30 minutes of action on track following the seven-car accident which claimed the life of 66-year-old driver Juha Miettinen.

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Racing in the top-tier SP9 class, he drives his very own Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, fielded by Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, and with the prestigious 24-hour race slotting perfectly between the Miami and Canadian Grands Prix, the Dutchman could not resist the opportunity.

Piquet's reaction to Verstappen at the Nurburgring

Despite his jam-packed calendar, Verstappen made sure to highlight his love for home life during a recent live appearance for Viaplay, titled 'An Evening with Max Verstappen'.

Last April, Verstappen and Piquet welcomed their daughter, Lily, adding even more value to his rare moments off the track.

When asked what he enjoys doing most when he's at home, Verstappen replied: "Spending time with my little one (daughter Lily, ed.). I love being at home. As you get older, you appreciate time with friends and family even more."

The F1 race cancellations in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia has presented Verstappen with a five-week break, but has opted to compete at the Nurburgring qualifiers instead of putting his feet up at home.

When asked why he was doing more NLS races, despite loving being at home so much, he replied: "I’ll have to bring that up at home.

"The other day it was: ‘Hey, two races have been cancelled in April!’ Then I had to say: ‘Yes, but...’ Then she [Piquet] says: ‘Do you really have to?’ And then I say: ‘Yes, I have to, haha.’"

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F1 Max Verstappen Kelly Piquet Nürburgring