Max Verstappen’s emotional first meeting with daughter Lily: “She looked like a packaged chicken”. Max Verstappen shares an emotional story about his first meeting with his daughter.

Amidst his successes on track, Max Verstappen experienced one of the most emotional moments of his life away from the Formula 1 spotlight: he became a father for the first time. Last week, just before the Miami Grand Prix, his partner Kelly Piquet gave birth to their daughter, Lily Verstappen, in Monaco.

In an interview with Viaplay, the three-time world champion emotionally shared his experience of the birth of his daughter: “It was great to be there. Even my parents said it’s one of the most beautiful things to experience, and it’s absolutely true.”

Max Verstappen explains the reason behind the name Lily and her nationality

Max Verstappen, visibly calm and smiling, revealed that his first days as a new dad went better than expected: “I have to say, so far everything is going well. She sleeps enough, which really helps,” he joked.

Talking about his first interaction with little Lily, Max used very personal words: “Seeing her for the first time was really special. I always found my sister’s kids cute, but when you hold your own, it’s a whole different thing.” With his usual humor, he added, “At first, she looked like a chicken package from the supermarket… that skin!”

Lily was born in Monaco, but her roots are international: Max Verstappen was born in Belgium to a Belgian mother and Dutch father, while Kelly Piquet was born in Germany to a Dutch mother and Brazilian father, the legendary Nelson Piquet. In the end, she will have two nationalities: Dutch and Brazilian. “Let’s keep it simple,” he said laughing.

When asked about the meaning of the name they chose, Max Verstappen explained: “It took us a while to decide. For months, we asked ourselves, ‘What should we name her?’ In the end, Lily seemed like a simple, beautiful name, and it sounded good with the surname. No second name, just Lily. And we immediately agreed.”

Despite his world champion commitments, Max Verstappen seems to have found a new personal balance. Lily’s arrival marks the beginning of a new adventure, away from the tracks but just as full of emotions.