Penelope Follows in Max Verstappen’s Footsteps In F1, as Dutchman Follows Father Jos’ Philosophy

It’s in his genes, which is what many people think about when they believe that Max Verstappen is such a skilled driver. Both his parents, Jos Verstappen and Sophie Kumpen, have a racing background. However, many do not consider the training and skill Papa Verstappen put his son through to make him the force he is today. And now Max Verstappen follows the same path as his father to make sure his daughter Penelope follows the same footsteps as him.

Whether it’s Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen, both of their fathers played a crucial role in making them the drivers they are. In the Dutchman’s case, people often accused Jos Verstappen of being too harsh on his son, but he suggests that since he’d been in F1, he knew what it took to become a champion and trained Max accordingly. And that ruthless approach is exactly what Verstappen shows out on track. The 3X champ wants nothing less than perfection. And it all happened because of Jos Verstappen’s philosophy of starting them young. 

And now, Verstappen seems ready to take up his father’s position and teach Penelope a thing or two about racing. With the Monaco GP Friday sessions underway, Penelope and Kelly Piquet were spotted in the paddock. Kelly Piquet uploaded a story on her Instagram where Penelope can be seen in a racing simulator, sitting on a Red Bull team member’s lap and driving the Red Bull in the F1 game.

The member seemed to be controlling the brake and the accelerator pedals while Penelope took control of the wheel. The caption for the story was, “Start them young they said🏎️”. In the latter part of the video, Kelly Piquet can be heard saying, “Not Bad P.” Just like Verstappen started karting at the age of 4, Penelope seems to have started learning the art of Sim Racing at the same age. She turns 5 in a couple of months.

It seems like Max Verstappen’s sim racing setup at home has taught Penelope a thing or two about the same. P can often be seen on Verstappen’s stream and arguably has some of the cutest conversations with the Dutchman. 

Cute Moments between Max Verstappen and Kelly Piquet’s Daughter Penelope 

Despite not being genetically related, Max Verstappen and Penelope share the same bond as a loving father and daughter. The two share many wholesome moments. Some of the Sim racing times are when Penelope brought Max Verstappen’s cushion on the live stream which had a picture of Max and showed it to everyone. Another time she was crying on the stream because she didn’t want to bathe, but Verstappen explained it very calmly to her.

Trying to black Max’s vision, hugging and kissing him during streams is common but remains as heartwarming as it was the first time. Recently at the Japanese GP, Verstappen won in front of Penelope, who was in the crowd and was screaming, “Maxie, Maxie” to cheer on his father. This came after Verstappen was disappointed at not winning in Australia. 

What do you think of the bond that Max Verstappen and Penelope share?