Max Verstappen’s ‘paternity leave’ plan as he nears F1 race ban

Max Verstappen joked that he would be able to take paternity leave if he picked up an F1 race ban following his latest incident at the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Verstappen was handed a 10-second time penalty and two penalty points on his license for hitting Oscar Piastri at the first corner.

The incident spun both drivers around, sending Piastri to the back of the grid.

It didn’t have an impact on the constructors’ championship, though, as Lando Norris won the race.

This means Verstappen now has eight points on his licence.

If he receives 12 points, he will pick up a race ban.

Speaking after the race in Abu Dhabi, Verstappen quipped that he will “make sure” he gets 12 penalty points to coincide with the birth of his son or daughter, with his partner, Kelly Piquet, recently announcing that she’s pregnant.

“Maybe I'll make sure I get to 12 points when the baby is born. Then I can go on paternity leave,” Verstappen said.

Verstappen apologises to Piastri

Verstappen owned up to his role in the incident, apologizing to Piastri immediately after the race.

Reflecting on the incident, Verstappen said: “I tried to grab the inside and I quickly realized once I committed to it that the gap was closing and I wanted to try and get out of it because I didn't want to actually crash with Oscar, but unfortunately we still clipped each other.

“I already apologized to Oscar. You just, it’s not what you want to happen and especially not with him. He's a great guy. But, it happened, and it's just a bit unfortunate.

“I tried to grab the inside and I quickly realized once I committed to it that the gap was closing and I wanted to try and get out of it because I didn't want to actually crash with Oscar, but unfortunately we still clipped each other. I already apologized to Oscar.

“You just, it’s not what you want to happen and especially not with him. He's a great guy. But, it happened, and it's just a bit unfortunate.”