When Kelly Piquet announced on Friday morning that she was expecting her first child with F1 legend Max Verstappen, she staked her claim to being the queen of Formula 1 WAGs.
The couple have been dating since 2020, and the French beauty naturally shared the news on Instagram with her 1.6 million followers via a tender black and white photo with their hands on Piquet’s stomach.
‘Mini Verstappen-Piquet on the way. We couldn’t be happier with our little miracle,” the couple wrote.
But they aren’t the only high-profile couple to set tongues wagging among F1’s elite.
For decades, F1 was famous, if not infamous, for its playboys and ‘grid girls’. Scantily clad models draped themselves over cars and paraded around the pits with umbrellas in hand, while drivers became household names for their legendary libidos. For example, 1970s champion James Hunt claimed to have slept with 5,000 women.
But how times have changed.
As the 2024 Grand Prix season comes to a head this weekend, the drivers’ wives and girlfriends are very much part of the modern F1 caravan, and they’re not just there to look pretty. These days, just like in the world of football and tennis, becoming an F1 Wag is a ticket to fame in itself – as a social media influencer.
It could have been singer Nicole Scherzinger who started it, when she publicly ran through the paddock to celebrate Lewis Hamilton winning the championship in 2008. The Posh and Becks of the pit lane, her celebrity equal to his, brought a whole new audience to the F1 circuit for eight years.
Today’s Grand Prix Wags are following in her footsteps and shining the spotlight on further careers (and fortunes). From former city financier to Olympic cyclist, the women we’ve seen on the track this season are as focused as their daredevil partners and boast millions of followers on social media.
Anyone looking to follow in their footsteps should note that Hamilton (39), fellow Briton Lando Norris (25) and two-time F1 world champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso (43) are all single.
Meanwhile, here are the Wags, who are currently in pole position…
Racing royalty: Kelly Piquet, 35
The newly crowned four-time world champion Max Verstappen has been working with Kelly Piquet, daughter of Brazilian F1 icon Nelson Piquet, for years.
PARTNER: Max Verstappen, 27
HOW THEY MET: The couple have been dating since 2020, after meeting in Monaco four years earlier, before going Instagram official in January 2021.
WHO IS SHE? Brazilian Kelly is the daughter of three-time world champion Nelson Piquet. Kelly worked in fashion as a stylist’s assistant and buyer before modeling for Louis Vuitton, among others, and appearing on the cover of Dutch Vogue. Before she met Dutch-Belgian Verstappen, she was in a relationship with Russian F1 driver Daniil Kvyat, with whom she has a daughter.
FOLLOWERS: She shares photos of her luxurious lifestyle with her 1.6 million Instagram followers.
WAG RATING:
Beauty in the art world: Alexandra Saint Mleux, 22
Monegasque pilot Charles LeClerc’s partner, 22-year-old Alexandra Saint Mleux, was spotted at Wimbledon last year next to the young race winner. Here she poses on a yacht in the south of France
PARTNER: Charles Leclerc, 27
HOW THEY MET: The pair started dating in March 2023 and confirmed their romance after being spotted together at Wimbledon, a favorite spot for F1 Wags to burnish celebrity reputations.
Even more glamorous, in May this year they appeared at the Monaco Grand Prix gala dinner with Prince Albert and Princess Charlene, following Charles’ victory in the home race.
After dismissing rumors earlier this year that Leclerc, from Monaco, had cheated on his ex-girlfriend Charlotte Sine with Alexandra, the couple strengthened their relationship with a miniature dachshund puppy named Leo, who is also an adorable regular at the track.
WHO IS SHE? The Italian beauty recently graduated in art history from the prestigious Ecole de Louvre in Paris and has an Instagram account dedicated to her adventures in the art world.
FOLLOWERS: Alexandra has 1.3 million on both TikTok and Instagram, where she regularly shows off her designer outfits.
WAG RATING:
Catwalk star Rebecca Donaldson, 28
Scottish model Rebecca Donaldson, 28, is dating Spanish heartthrob Carlos Sainz, who races for Ferrari
PARTNER: Carlos Sainz, 30
HOW THEY MET: They haven’t spoken publicly about their romance, but Scottish model Rebecca was first linked to Spanish Ferrari driver Sainz in the summer of 2023 – shortly after his split from Spanish journalist Isa Hernáez, with whom he was in a relationship for almost seven years.
WHO IS SHE? Rebecca won her first beauty pageant at the age of 17 and was always destined for fame. “My mom entered and I was really surprised when I found out,” she said of winning.
She has since launched her own activewear clothing line, Muse, and appeared on multiple magazine covers after signing with modeling agencies. In February, she walked the catwalk in Madrid during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, with Sainz’s family in the audience.
She was previously in a relationship with Kourtney Kardashian’s ex Scott Disick and was also linked to American rapper Jack Harlow before meeting Carlos.
FOLLOWERS: She has 379,000 on Instagram.
WAG RATING:
Top model: Francisca Cerqueira Gomes, 21
Francisca Cerqueira Gomes, the 21-year-old girlfriend of Alpine F1 driver Pierre Gasly, stuns in a two-tone bikini
Francisca – aka Kika – and Pierre share a hug before the French driver races at speeds of 200mph and above
PARTNER: Pierre Gasly, 28
HOW THEY MET: Francisca, known as Kika, and French Alpine driver Pierre, 28, were first linked in October 2022 when they attended a Paris Saint-Germain football match together. Since then, the Portuguese model has competed in a number of races alongside her boyfriend (inset below), including the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the 2023 Miami Grand Prix.
WHO IS SHE? As the daughter of former Le Mans driver and McLaren driver-coach Goncalo Gomes, racing is in her blood. Since officially joining Gasly in 2023, Francisca’s modeling career has reached new heights, with H&M, Louboutin and Yves Saint Laurent calling on her. The couple even starred in advertisements together this summer, posing for sunglasses brand Hawkers.
FOLLOWERS: Francisca shares loved-up snaps, bikini photos and behind-the-scenes insights into the world of F1 with her 921,000 Instagram and 628,700 TikTok followers.
WAG RATING:
Olympic cyclist: Tiffany Cromwell, 36
Tiffany is a professional cyclist and previously rode for Australia at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
PARTNER: Valtteri Bottas, 35
HOW THEY MET: Australian Tiffany and Finnish driver Valtteri apparently met in a pub in Monaco – that magnet for F1 Wags – and had a shared interest in cycling. Tiffany confirmed her romance with the Sauber driver by posting a series of photos of the pair on Valentine’s Day in 2020, just four months after he announced his split from Finnish Olympic swimmer Emilia Pikkarainen.
WHO IS SHE? Tiffany is a professional cyclist and previously rode for Australia at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. She is also the co-founder, along with Bottas, of Oath Gin, which the pair promote on social media.
FOLLOWERS: Tiffany shares loved-up posts about the couple’s adventures with her 224,000 followers on Instagram.
WAG RATING:
Professional golfer: Lily He, 25
Lily is worth £4 million in her own right, is sponsored by the likes of Nike and Fila and first played on the LGPA tour in 2015.
PARTNER: Alex Albon, 28
HOW THEY MET: The sporty couple have been together since 2019 after Lily – a professional golfer – spotted the Thai-British Williams racer in Netflix’s popular F1 documentary Drive To Survive.
WHO IS SHE? Worth £4million in her own right, Lily is sponsored by the likes of Nike and Fila and first played on the LGPA tour in 2015. Her hotelier-restaurateur father, born in China, introduced her to golf when she was five was. years old. She grew up in Vancouver and San Diego and turned pro in December 2017.
FOLLOWERS: Lily regularly keeps her 921,000 Instagram followers updated on her career, relationship with Albon and their glamorous lifestyle.
WAG RATING:
Financial star: Carmen Montero Mundt, 27
Carmen, 27, focuses on financial advice for women, with an e-book to her name entitled Female Invest
PARTNER: George Russell, 26
HOW THEY MET: Carmen has been in a relationship with Mercedes driver Russell – a rising British superstar who just won the Las Vegas Grand Prix – since 2020 and the couple now live together in Monaco.
WHO IS SHE? Carmen grew up in Andalusia, Spain, and supported herself financially while attending the University of Westminster, where she obtained a degree in business management and finance, and then worked at an investment company in the city. Now an influencer with half a million followers – not to mention deals with fashion brands Dior and Tommy Hilfiger, plus hotel chain The Ritz-Carlton – she focuses on financial advice for women, with an e-book to her name entitled Female Invest .
FOLLOWERS: 500,000 Instagram followers who can see very glamorous photos of Caribbean vacations, chic outfits and a very friendly George.
WAG RATING: