Max Verstappen’s girlfriend Kelly Piquet has hinted that the couple’s new baby will be a girl. Piquet is due to give birth to Verstappen’s first child in the coming weeks, with the Red Bull star announcing the news in December.

Verstappen and Piquet began dating around four-and-a-half years ago after the Brazilian model had split from former F1 star Daniil Kvyat.

Piquet and Kvyat share a daughter called Penelope, who was born in July 2019.

At the end of last year, Piquet revealed on Instagram that she was in her third trimester, which means she could give birth ahead of the new F1 season, which is due to get underway in mid-March.

And the 36-year-old returned to the social media platform this week to share an image of herself shopping for baby clothes.

In the picture, she was paying close attention to girls’ clothing, which could suggest her second child will also be a girl.

Verstappen cruised to his fourth consecutive F1 world title last year after finishing ahead of McLaren star Lando Norris in the Drivers’ Championship standings.

The Red Bull star ended the season 63 points ahead of his nearest rival but was unable to help his team clinch the Constructors’ Championship title as McLaren took the honours.

And discussing the prospect of becoming a father for the first time, Verstappen explained on the Talking Bull podcast: “I actually don’t want he or she to go into racing - maybe a different role. Maybe he or she can design future cars.”

He added: “Luckily I did get a little bit of training with Penelope, seeing her grow up already for four years, which has been also really nice.

“But for sure when it's fully your own it's gonna be a different challenge - but I’m looking forward to it.”

Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko questioned whether Verstappen could keep up his pace after becoming a father as he exclaimed at the start of this year: “Generally people say that after their first child, drivers will drive three tenths slower.”

But Verstappen’s father Jos hit back as he told De Telegraaf: “No, that’s bull**t. I think it just motivates.

“Max has known for a while that he’s going to be a father. That thought hasn’t exactly bothered him. Just look at how he won the race in Brazil. He already knew then and so did I.

“It may sound crazy, but I knew he was going to be a father before he even told me. I’m not crazy, I saw it coming. I know my son well and only have to look at him.”