In the last few years, the fan following of Max Verstappen has exploded. The Red Bull driver was named as the most famous F1 driver in a recent survey, and his winning the 2021 world championship only added to his growing list of fans.

And now it can be more or less confirmed that one of the fans in Verstappen’s fanbase is an F1 legend, Nelson Piquet.

The three-time world champion was recently spotted wearing a Max Verstappen championship hoodie during a Christmas celebration. Piquet was alongside his daughter Kelly and Max Verstappen in that picture.

For those who don’t know, Kelly Piquet and Max Verstappen are dating. The couple made their relationship public in this season only as Piquet was seen supporting and cheering her boyfriend in several races during the season.

Max Verstappen has changed because of Kelly Piquet’s influence

Recently, Russian journalist Alexey Popov described the change he has noticed in the Dutchman’s behavior ever since Kelly Piquet has arrived in his life. Popov described how he wasn’t very fond of Verstappen as a person before, but he admits that the current champion has changed ‘dramatically‘.

“You know, I’ve never been a fan of Max as a character, as a person, but this year I felt like his character had changed for the better — dramatically,” Popov said.

“I don’t know, maybe Kelly is the reason for this or just that he suddenly matured and something clicked, but somehow something changed at once. Yes, it has nothing to do with his aerobatics, but with how he reacts to things.”

Max Verstappen, his fans, and his near and dear ones will be incredibly delighted with how his life is progressing at this moment.

In the past season, not only has he become a better driver with every passing race, but he is also being supported in his personal life as well.