Max Verstappen will not attend media day at the Miami Grand Prix, but will still be racing at the Miami International Autodrome.
His Falcon 8X private aircraft was still in Nice on Thursday afternoon, the closest airport to Monaco, sparking speculation as to why the Red Bull driver had not left for the Sunshine State yet.
The Milton Keynes team has now confirmed it is due to the Dutchman expecting the birth of his first child.
Red Bull sent the following statement to media, including RacingNews365: "Hi all, please note that 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."
Verstappen's partner, Kelly Piquet, is due to give birth to her second child, after daughter Penelope. The due date is believed to be some time next week, but it appears the four-time F1 drivers' champion will become a father slightly earlier.
The 64-time grand prix winner is currently involved in a tense title fight with McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, sitting 12 points behind Piastri and 10 behind Norris heading to the second of six sprint events in the 2025 season.
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding, as they look ahead to this weekend's Miami Grand Prix. The trio discuss a current major problem in F1, all eyes being on Lando Norris following his recent run of mistakes, Max Verstappen's chances and much more!
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
Most read
In this article
Join the conversation!