Max Verstappen becomes a father: will it impact his F1 speed?. Max Verstappen becomes a father and skips Miami's media day.

How much having children matters for an F1 driver’s lap times: the paddock’s reaction to Verstappen becoming a father
Verstappen is now a father, but no one believes his F1 performance will slow down: the reactions from drivers at the FIA press conference in Miami

The news of Max Verstappen’s absence on Thursday in Miami due to becoming a father (still no official confirmation from those directly involved) inevitably caught the attention of the media during the press conference. The topic of fatherhood in F1 returned to the spotlight, fueling – with a touch of irony – the old myth that drivers become slower once they have children.
The first to be asked was Nico Hülkenberg, who also recently became a father, and his response left no doubts: “Judge for yourselves, look at the numbers. Everyone is different, but personally, I don’t think fatherhood slows you down at all. When we lower the visor and hit the track, we forget everything else. For me, it’s actually been helpful: it gave me new balance, I feel more complete.”

Max Verstappen becomes a father: paddock reactions

The question then went to Lewis Hamilton, who is not a father himself, to ask if he believes fatherhood might change Verstappen on a sporting level: “I wish him all the best. It’s a special, truly unique moment. We briefly talked about it in Jeddah, and I saw how happy he was. Congratulations to him.”

George Russell highlighted the emotional side of the topic, also referring to his own personal experience: “We’re all professionals, but having a child is something that changes your life. I see it even with just my nephews, they bring me incredible joy. And in any case, we’ve seen drivers win races as parents, so I don’t think this will affect his performance.”
Zero distractions, only new energy?
Despite the initial irony about the legend of the “lost tenth” after a child’s birth, all the drivers were clear: fatherhood is not a distraction, but can actually be a new source of motivation and calm.

Verstappen, who arrives in Miami as the championship leader, therefore seems destined to continue his winning path – now with one more motivation: being a role model as a father, both on and off the track.