Kelly Piquet claims Max Verstappen 'similar' to her controversial father and 3-time F1 winner Nelson Piquet

Kelly Piquet claims that partner Max Verstappen has a lot of similarities with her controversial father Nelson Piquet. Nelson Piquet too was a world champion during his time in F1, where he was able to win three titles(2 with Brabham and 1 with Williams). However, in the last year or so, Nelson has been in the news for all the wrong reasons.

The Brazilian F1 legend was caught on video using a racial slur to describe Lewis Hamilton during the 2022 F1 British GP weekend. In that particular incident, Nelson was forced to issue an apology and received sanctions from multiple racing bodies.

In an interview with the Dutch edition of Vogue magazine, Kelly Piquet, a model by profession, drew comparisons between her father Nelson Piquet, and Max Verstappen. According to her, the Red Bull driver was very humble and kept his feet on the ground.

Max Verstappen was not interested in the fame or material things that come with the sport. She said,

"He remains so humble, he has both feet firmly on the ground. What I really like is that he knows what he wants and he is not afraid to say it. He is confident and not interested in fame or material things. We have a lot in common, are bon vivants. I realise more and more how similar he is to my father."

I know what those guys go through: Max Verstappen's partner

Talking about her understanding of the stresses and strains of the sport, Kelly Piquet revealed that she had a clear idea of what these drivers go through. Kelly's brother Nelson Piquet Jr. too was a former F1 driver and the first Formula E world champion.

She revealed that she followed his career closely and has seen the kind of challenges that these drivers have to face every year. She said:

"I was always very involved in my brother's career. I've experienced the ups and downs, seen what pressure does to someone. This world is so familiar to me, I know what those guys go through,"

Max Verstappen, on his part, will be looking forward to the toughest title challenge of his career in 2023. The driver will face a challenge from both Mercedes drivers, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

He's also going to take face a challenge from Ferrari as the team tries to put together a better fight this season. Verstappen's third title battle could see him fight against as many as three other possible contenders which could make things very interesting in the end.