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Max Verstappen's girlfriend, Kelly Piquet, dropped a comment on social media in support of the driver after he was charged with a five-second time penalty in Jeddah. However, fans were unimpressed with her remarks as they reacted in the comments.
Verstappen delivered another sensational qualifying performance at the 2025 Saudi Arabian GP to win pole position. However, during the race start, he was handed a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an unfair advantage.
According to FIA, Verstappen and Oscar Piastri were side by side at the apex of Turn 1. Stewards argued that the corner belonged to Piastri, but the Dutch driver went off the track and rejoined in the lead, resulting in an illegal overtake. Hence, as punishment, he received a five-second time penalty.
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After Max Verstappen finished P2, his girlfriend, Kelly Piquet, indirectly criticized the FIA's ruling. In the comment section of an Instagram post, she said:
"They'll keep trying, but they won't stop you."
However, fans instead criticized her for her remarks.
"She's a loser just like her baby daddy," said a fan.
"Why do they want to pretend they’re being oppressed so badly? It’s weird," another fan commented.
"Who is “they,” this FIA who gifted him a championship 3 years ago and let him drive an illegal car for the next 2 seasons?" a comment said.
A fan also reminded Kelly Piquet about the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen won his first championship.
"Did she forget that it's the exact team that helped him out in the last lap of Abu Dhabi 2021?" Where was she then?" a user commented.
"Bro loves to act oppressed, like they didn’t literally say they took it easy on him by only giving 5 seconds instead of 10 since it was lap 1, turn 1. Makes an unfair move and still acts like it was an unjust penalty; just stop with the theatrics, man," a fan argued.
"OG losers, the piquets," another fan commented.
Kelly Piquet is pregnant with Verstappen's first child, and the couple will embrace parenthood this year.
Red Bull boss reacts to Max Verstappen's controversial penalty
![Max Verstappen [L] with Christian Horner [R] at F1 Grand Prix Of China - Source: Getty](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/04/f1d1e-17453232418081-1920.jpg)
Max Verstappen lost the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after receiving a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an unfair advantage. The incident left Red Bull fuming as they argued the punishment was incorrect.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, talking to the media, said:
"We had that sort of discussion with the race director before the race through briefings and whatever else.“We have this notion of ‘let them race’—I’ don’t know where Max was supposed to go at that first corner. We’ve lost the race by [2.8] seconds, so, yeah, it’s tough."
Horner added that Red Bull decided against filing an appeal, as FIA stewards argued that it was a slam-dunk penalty. Hence, Horner believed that any review appeal would have been rejected.
