Max Verstappen‘s girlfriend has hit back at critics of their nine-year age gap as she revealed ‘he was already 19’ when she met him aged 27.

The four-time Formula One champion, 28, has been dating Kelly Piquet, 37, since 2020 and the pair welcomed a baby daughter, Lily, together in May 2025.

But in a recent viral trend – where social media users post snaps of themselves from 2016 – Piquet shared an image of herself posing with Verstappen and recalled how they initially met a decade ago.

She wrote: ‘Met this guy [in 2016]… the very next day he told me I was the love of his life. Little did I know 10 years later we’d be celebrating five years together and have a perfect baby girl.

‘PS: I absolutely did not have a magical night that night (laughing emoji) but there was serendipity in the air.’ 

The post has received almost 2,000 comments, with one user in particular writing: ‘When she was 27 in 2016 , Max was 18. Hahahaha (laughing emojis)’, to which Piquet fired back: ‘He was already 19 but yeah so what.’

Kelly Piquet shared the story of how she and Max Verstappen first met each other in 2016

Piquet hit back at critics of their age gap by saying Verstappen was ‘already 19’ when they met

The F1 star and Piquet are known to have first met in Monaco in 2016, the year Verstappen became the youngest Grand Prix winner in Spain.

The pair had a meal with her brother, Nelson Piquet Jr, and the now 37-year-old told Vogue Netherlands in December 2022 that ‘something magical happened that night’. 

Piquet is the daughter of Brazilian F1 legend Nelson, 73, and, prior to meeting Verstappen, dated former F1 driver Daniil Kvyat – who she would go on to have a daughter named Penelope with.

Kyvat was the man Verstappen replaced to win his maiden Grand Prix, and the Dutchman has since taken on fatherhood duties of Penelope as well as their shared daughter Lily.

‘Luckily I did get a little bit of training with Penelope, Verstappen told the Talking Bull podcast previously. ‘Seeing her grow up already for like four years. Which has been also really, really nice.

‘But yes, for sure, when it’s like, also going be fully your own [kid]… Yes, it’s going to be a different challenge. But I’m looking forward to it’.

Piquet has also been outspoken previously about the ‘challenge’ of their age gap but insisted it has caused no problems.

She said: ‘I think we have a very healthy relationship, easygoing, we have a lot of understanding and support for each other.

Verstappen and Piquet started dating in 2020 and share a daughter of their own together, Lily

Piquet is the daughter of Formula One legend Nelson – a three-time champion of the sport

‘You would think the age difference could be a challenge, but so far things are going really well. I also really appreciate how he treats Penelope. It’s so sweet to see.’

The subject of marriage has been publicly addressed by Verstappen, who said that only ‘time will tell’ if he and Piquet decide to tie the knot.

Should he pop the question, he will likely have to get the approval of Piquet’s three-time F1 champion father.

Nelson won 23 races and is known for his rivalry with English driver Nigel Mansell, coming out on top and restricting the Williams star to one championship in 1992. 

However, in 2022 the 73-year-old was banned from the paddock and a year later was made to pay £780,000 in damages for allegedly racist and homophobic remarks towards Lewis Hamilton.