Kelly Piquet sends heartwarming Father's Day message to 'best dad and bonus dad' Max Verstappen

The Brazilian model posted the tribute on social media as Verstappen celebrated his second Father's Day after the couple welcomed their daughter, Lily, last year. The post also recognised the Dutchman's role in helping to raise her daughter Penelope, who had she had during a prior relationship with ex-Formula One driver Daniil Kvyat.

In the post on her Instagram stories, Piquet wrote: "Happy Father's Day to the best dad and bonus dad I could have asked for @MaxVerstappen", alongside a photo of the four-time world champion holding their daughter Lily.

Piquet was sharing pictures from a family boat trip, as well as a video of Verstappen appearing to enjoy himself on an electric hydrofoil board, gliding above the water as a jet of spray shoots out behind him. Kelly was seen pictured alongside her father Nelson Piquet Sr, also wishing the three time world champion a happy Father's Day.

Verstappen and Piquet welcomed their daughter Lily to the world ahead of last season's Miami Grand Prix. Speaking about Lily, now one-year-old, at the time, Verstappen wrote: "Welcome to the world, sweet Lily. Our hearts are fuller than ever -- you are our greatest gift. We love you so much."

Verstappen will put his mind back to Formula One this weekend, when he returns to the Austrian Grand Prix, where he holds the all-time record for victories with four. He arrives into the race amid speculation over his future at Red Bull Racing, amid a difficult season in which he sits seventh in the standings and more than 100 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli.

Speaking on the Sky F1 Show podcast, 1997 champion Jacques Villeneuve, in a warning to Red Bull, insisted they must do everything possible to keep Verstappen, describing him as the team's biggest asset. He said: "They need to find a way to try and keep him there because he's the only good thing in the team right now. Other than the engine, because as we found out the engine is very good. It's become a very political place in the last two or three years. It seems that there's so much internal strife on who's going to lead, who's going to do that, and everybody's been kicked out. It's really, and it's very difficult to see a good future at Red Bull it's really odd. It looks like they've read the wave. Right now they're going down, and they haven't reached bottom yet. So that's a tough one."