Latest news with #Piquet
Hindustan Times
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Max Verstappen's mother shares adorable message for granddaughter and it will melt your hearts
Max Verstappen's mother Sophie Kumpen had an adorable reaction to her son's girlfriend, Kelly Piquet's post of their newborn baby Lily on social media. The Dutch driver and his partner, who have been together for four years, became parents for the first time together in early May. The pregnancy was announced in 2024 and the birth date was kept under secrecy. The pair also shared a photo of their daughter, and also announced her birth before the race in Miami. Piquet also posted a series of photos with Lily from a photoshoot on Instagram. She captioned it as, 'Just a little over a month since my heart experienced for the second time the most amazing love in the world.' 'Words can't describe what it is to feel a love so profound. Becoming a mother again has reminded me of the beauty, strength and softness that live within us. Thank you my little one for choosing me,' he added. Verstappen's mother replied, 'Sweet Lily, we love you so much.' Piquet already has a five-year-old daughter, whose name is Penelope. She shares the child with ex-F1 dricer Daniil Kvyat. Recently, in an interview, she revealed, 'I breathe motorsport. It's something that comes naturally to me. And in the end, I've started a family with an F1 driver. Well, not married yet, but we've started a family. It wasn't planned on purpose. I've had several relationships with men who weren't in that field, but it was just meant to be.' She also added, 'It's been six weeks. So it was also hard to come here today because my daughter is the only thing I'll be focused on this summer. I'm taking the time before I resume my professional activities.'
The Independent
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Alpine boss Flavio Briatore ‘should not be back in F1', says Johnny Herbert
Johnny Herbert believes Flavio Briatore should 'not be back in F1 ' after the Italian maverick returned to the paddock with Alpine as de facto team principal. Briatore, 75, will enact all the duties of former team principal Oliver Oakes after the Briton's resignation three weeks ago, due to personal reasons. While Briatore's official title will remain 'executive adviser', he is effectively back as team boss 17 years after the 2008 Crashgate scandal, when he was initially given a lifetime ban from the sport for his role as Renault team principal in Nelson Piquet Jnr's deliberate crash in Singapore. Briatore's ban was later overturned in the French courts but, given his chequered past, ex-F1 driver Herbert believes it's wrong that the Italian has returned in a team-leading capacity in the paddock. 'I didn't agree when Flavio Briatore came back and I still don't agree that he's back,' Herbert said. 'But he is back and he's in the battle. He's now head of the Alpine team and running it. 'Those decisions have been made, as I said, don't agree. I don't think it's the right thing, he's back.' Briatore, who returned to Renault-owned Alpine last summer as 'executive adviser', recently decided to drop Jack Doohan after just seven races for Argentine driver Franco Colapinto. However, with a keen eye on new regulations in 2026 and a chance for Alpine to narrow the gap to the frontrunners, Herbert believes Briatore could target a seasoned veteran in the F1 cockpit. 'If Briatore is someone who gets Sergio Perez at Alpine and Perez does a good job and then Flavio gets on his side, he'd be in a very strong position,' Hebert said, in quotes associated with 'If it doesn't go well, you'll have exactly what's happened with Jack Doohan. 'That is always going to be part of what Flavio does. He will always choose one. 'He's one who has always done that and that's where it can be very damaging for the driver's career, but also just mentally.' Alpine failed to score points at the last race in Monaco; F1 next heads to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend.
The Star
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Star
Renault leverages Shanghai development centre for cars aimed at markets outside Europe
French carmaker Renault Group is using its Chinese development centre to design new models aimed at markets beyond Europe, a senior executive said, as the company seeks to cut production costs and accelerate development by applying insights from the mainland market. The company launched its Advanced China Development Centre (ACDC) in Shanghai last year, which employs around 200 people who are focused on developing electric vehicles (EVs) for the European market. 'ACDC is growing into a very important engineering centre, and we want it to work for the globe,' said Vincent Piquet, chief financial officer at Renault Group's EV division Ampere, in an interview last week. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. Piquet said the Shanghai operation was working on developing battery-powered models for Ampere and Renault to sell to markets outside Europe. Renault operates in more than 100 countries and regions worldwide, with a primary focus on Europe. Brazil and South Korea are also major markets for the company. His comments came as the rise of Chinese EVs in Europe has forced the bloc's carmakers to re-evaluate their strategies for survival. With support from the Shanghai operation, Renault developed a more affordable version of the electric Twingo car in just 21 months, significantly shorter than the previous three- to four-year cycle. Priced at less than €20,000 (US$22,646), the model is set for release in 2026 in Europe. The Shanghai centre also allowed for the rapid production of a new EV for Renault's budget brand, Dacia, in just 16 months, the fastest development of a model in the group's history. The company expects its cheaper EVs to compete with BYD's Seagull and Nio's Firefly in the European market. 'Competition from China entering Europe forced us to rethink how we organise EV and software elements at Renault,' Piquet said. 'We concluded that we need a dedicated team focused solely on EV software to compete with emerging players from China by learning from China. 'We're not selling [these] cars in China, but we're leveraging the expertise and the Chinese ecosystem to be more competitive in Europe.' With its Shanghai centre, Renault is seeking to cut costs for its next-generation EVs by 40 per cent by 2028. The company also planned to double its EV sales volume this year and double it again next year from less than 100,000 units last year, while further expanding the company's EV line-up to accelerate growth in the European market, he said. The French carmaker said it was also in talks with several of its Chinese parts suppliers to help them set up in Europe. In 2022, Renault partnered with Minth Group, a Chinese automotive supplier, to establish a joint venture for producing battery casings in France; it began production in 2023. 'The barriers to entry and logistics costs make production in Europe more efficient, and we welcome the globalisation of the supply ecosystem, where Chinese companies play a key role,' Piquet said. Having more global suppliers in Europe could increase competition among them and allow carmakers to reduce EV production costs, he said. As Chinese EV brands gain traction in the global market with lower production costs, advanced batteries and intelligent features like smart cockpits, Western car giants are looking more at China's advancements in EV technologies. In 2022, German auto giant Mercedes-Benz established a research centre in Shanghai focused on connectivity, autonomous driving and big data. China is also home to BMW's largest research and development network outside Germany. China accounted for more than 60 per cent of the more than 17 million EVs sold globally last year – including pure EVs and plug-in hybrids – according to data provider Rho Motion. But Chinese EV manufacturers held single-digit market shares in most European markets, where carmakers like Volkswagen and Audi continued to dominate. More from South China Morning Post: For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2025.
News.com.au
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Max Verstappen shares biggest news of his life with baby announcement
Max Verstappen and his partner Kelly Piquet have announced the birth of their daughter, Lily, as the four-time Formula One world champion made a mad dash to the Miami Grand Prix. Verstappen only arrived at the track on Saturday ahead of the practice sessions after skipping the pre-race promotional and media events while awaiting the birth of his first child. 'Welcome to the world, sweet Lily. Our hearts are fuller than ever — you are our greatest gift. We love you so much,' Verstappen wrote on Instagram, accompanied by photos of the couple and their newborn swaddled in a blanket. Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every qualifying session and race in the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship™, LIVE in 4K with no ad-breaks during racing. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. Verstappen's partner Kelly Piquet, 36, is the daughter of Brazil's triple world champion Nelson Piquet. The Brazilian model has another daughter from a previous relationship with Russian ex-F1 driver Daniil Kvyat. The 27-year-old Dutchman is third overall in the drivers' championship after five races, 12 points behind Australian leader Oscar Piastri of McLaren. Verstappen didn't let the birth of his first child — the biggest news he will ever have to share —distract him in Florida as he arrived and registered the third quickest time of the opening practice session behind Piastri and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. The Red Bull racer first shared his thoughts about becoming a dad with ESPN. 'Luckily, I got to spend a few days with them once she was born,' he said. 'It's been great. You never really know what to expect but it's been very enjoyable and very special.' Verstappen said he is not daunted about becoming a dad because he has already been helping parent Piquet's daughter Penelope. 'I'm kind of like a bonus dad already with my girlfriend having a daughter, so I saw her grow up since she was one,' he said. 'I think that will work out. Who knows, maybe in the future we can do it together. Everyone does it [parenting] in their own way … it will all work out.' There has been some controversy about his return to the track so soon after the birth with some raising their eyebrows at his decision to continue to race. Verstappen announced the news about Piquet's pregnancy in December. Despite Verstappen looking on course to continue racing for now, it is thought he may decide to take next year off from the sport. Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko stoked flames last month by saying the concern about the Dutchman leaving was 'great' and an unnamed F1 driver said he believes Verstappen most likely route is a season on the sidelines. Verstappen and Piquet started dating in 2020 — four years after meeting at a dinner — after her relationship with Kvyat.
NZ Herald
02-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Formula 1 star Max Verstappen welcomes first child with Kelly Piquet
The Dutch-Belgian driver, who races under the Dutch flag for Red Bull, has won four F1 World Drivers' Championships and 64 Grands Prix. Piquet, 36, is already a mum to daughter Penelope, who was born in 2019. Penelope's father is Formula One driver Daniil Kyvat. Verstappen previously told the Talking Bull podcast that seeing Piquet parent Penelope helped him feel ready to become a father. 'Luckily I did get a little bit of training with Penelope, seeing her grow up already for like four years. Which has been really, really nice. 'But yes, for sure, when it's like, also going to be fully your own [child]... Yes, it's going to be a different challenge. But I'm looking forward to it.' It comes after an announcement that the Red Bull driver would not appear during a media day ahead of the Miami Grand Prix taking place this weekend. A Red Bull spokesperson said in a statement, 'Max will not be attending media day in Miami as he is expecting a baby. All is well and he will attend track tomorrow for the race weekend. 'We will not be offering any further comment at this time in respect towards the privacy of Max and his family.' The pair started dating in October 2020, sharing their baby news in December 2024. Though there is an age gap of nine years between them, Piquet has said the relationship thrives as 'we have a lot of understanding and support for each other'. Piquet herself is the daughter of iconic Formula One driver Nelson Piquet, who has three Drivers' Championships to his name.
