Max Verstappen's 'not ideal' message to his newborn child as future F1 chances discussed

has admitted that it would be 'not ideal' if his newborn daughter, Lily, grows up with aspirations of becoming a racing driver. The Dutchman's first child was born ahead of the race in Miami two weeks ago. The latest addition to the Verstappen family has some impressive racing heritage coursing through its veins. Lily's father is the reigning F1 world champion, and the 27-year-old is chasing a record-equalling fifth successive Drivers' Championship crown, which would pull him level on terms with Michael Schumacher for titles in a row.

Then there is Verstappen's father. Jos Verstappen made over 100 Grand Prix starts between 1994 and 2003 with seven different organisations, collecting two podiums in the process. The 53-year-old's intense management of his son's junior career helped propel him onto the F1 grid as a teenager.

On Lily's mother's side, there is another multiple-time world champion in the mix. Kelly Piquet's father is three-time F1 world champion Nelson Piquet, who recorded 23 victories and 60 podiums during a glittering career. His son, Nelson Piquet Jnr, competed in 28 Grands Prix with Renault in 2008 and 2009.

This was noted by Christian Horner in Miami last time out. But I'm just thinking - the genes of that child are quite incredible. When you think of Verstappen and Piquet... if it was a racehorse, it would be worth a fortune!"

However, Verstappen is not keen on his daughter attempting to follow in his motorsport footsteps. Speaking to ESPN ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, he confessed: "First, I would probably be like 'that's not ideal!'

"But let's see. I think with your children, you have to show them that sport is important in life and it does a lot of good, but that doesn't necessarily need to be F1 or racing in general. There are a lot of sports out there that she can practice."

In the short term, Verstappen's focus remains centred on the title fight with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Heading into the Emilia Romagna GP, the 27-year-old trails McLaren's Australian phenom by 32 points, and this gap will widen if Red Bull's upgrades have not bridged the performance gap.

"It's a bit impossible to know until we figure it out," he said on Thursday. "I don't know when or how we are going to figure it out. It takes time. It's also a bit track-specific. I guess it works a bit better for them because sometimes there's a bit more thermal degradation than others."