Red Bull driver Max Verstappen ensures that he follows certain rules when it comes to the father of his girlfriend Kelly Piquet to ensure that there is no scope for arguments when they meet.
The Dutchman regularly meets former F1 world champion Nelson Piquet ever since he started dating his daughter Kelly a few years ago. Although it would be an added benefit to feed off the experience of the former Brazilian driver, Verstappen knows it will come at a cost and chooses not to discuss anything related to F1 or motorsport.
One may argue that Verstappen needs little advice anyway, given how ruthless he has been on the track over the past couple of years. Last season was a record-breaking campaign for the 26-year-old, as he won 19 of a possible 22 Grand Prix as he notched his third successive world championship.
Part of his success is down to the fact that Verstappen is able to cut off from the sport completely during his off time, with a strict emphasis on keeping his personal and motorsport life separate. Verstappen has realised that he performs best when he is able to detach from F1 completely while with his family and friends.
Verstappen spoke about how he unwinds, claiming that he stays far away from social media.
“What I do privately is nobody else’s business,” Verstappen said.
Asked if he consciously stays away from social media to ensure he doesn’t let trollers get to him, he responded in the affirmative.
“That’s true. But I don’t follow that many Formula One-related accounts or people anyway,” he said.
“I consciously ignore a lot of Formula One news, then at some point, it doesn’t pass by in my timeline either. Actually, I only follow other sports and athletes to get balance in my life that way. I don’t want – and especially when I’m at home – to know everything that’s going on in the paddock.
“That certainly also applies to family visits in Brazil, when I see my father-in-law (Piquet). Then we really don’t talk about motorsport. He has talked more than enough about that in his life.
“At a certain point, you don’t feel like talking about it anymore either, you’re done talking about it. I do understand that there is more to life.”