Max Verstappen's girlfriend 'made him more mature' than Lewis Hamilton, says F1 insider

express.co.uk:

Max Verstappen is the current reigning Formula One World Champion after winning the title in 2021. He is set to hit the tracks once again this year and his girlfriend Kelly Piquet will likely be seen supporting him.The pair began dating at the end of 2020 and have been inseparable since.They first confirmed their relationship with an Instagram post at the beginning of 2021.Now an F1 insider has theorised on Kelly’s role in Max’s development as racing driver.Russian journalist Alexey Popov has reflected on the F1 star’s growth over the years.Speaking with Championat.com, Alexey admitted he had not been fond of Max’s personality in the past but that he has since “suddenly matured”.He said: “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.“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.”Kelly has previously spoken out on her relationship with the F1 driver and the challenges they have had to overcome together.She detailed the "vicious" hurdles the couple faced behind the scenes after his highly-scrutinised victory last year.The model spoke out on the rumours created around her relationship in a post shared on Instagram in view of her 871,000 followers.She wrote: “In a world, there is constant hate thrown around for no reason, which as anyone will know -is bound to take its toll. “There are now far too many vicious things circulating that are utterly unacceptable.“I’d like to remind people that I am still a human being and have my rights.“Circulating.