Max Verstappen and Kelly Piquet have called out on social media trolls on Instagram to stop spreading hate and lies as their actions could result in real-life consequences.
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen and his girlfriend Kelly Piquet shared an emotional message on Instagram highlighting the need to consider the repercussions of spreading misleading information and inciting hatred.
The Dutchman’s status being a three-time world champion has thrust Kelly into unwanted attention forcing the 35-year-old to resort to social media to denounce the behavior of some of her followers.
The model, who is the daughter to former world champion Nelson Piquet has been dating Verstappen since 2021 and she frequently attends Grand Prix weekends to support the Red Bull star.
Piquet, who previously dated and had a child with former Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat has been the target of online bullying and a number of fabricated reports that result to harsh and disturbing allegations which she strongly denies.
“A note from me and a gentle reminder to all…” Piquet wrote on Instagram Tuesday night. “The online world can be a wonderful place for various reasons, but a very scary one when wrong information and lies are thrown around.
“I am unsure of the appropriate approach to address hate stemming from falsehoods. I have considered composing a response and letting it stand.
“For over 3 year I’ve been navigating a very strange and upsetting wave of accusations, rumours, fabricated situations, fake testimonials, photoshopped screenshots… you name it. All the while staying silent and not playing into these ridiculous claims.
“Accusations made in the past months especially have taken on another level of defamation. Those who know me know that I would never put myself in such positions, say certain things or act in such a way. I am far from perfect, but I do take pride in my values, morals and manner. Let that be clear.
“As a human being, the comments and hate affect me and the people around me deeply. I hope this serves as a reminder for people to verify online content before making threats.
“I hope those of you who have contributed to this take a moment to reflect on the real-life consequences of spreading lies and engaging in hate.
“Remember, as James Clear says, ‘Every action we take is a vote for who we want to be’. Let’s choose to be better humans to ourselves and others.”
Verstappen replied to her post: “This has to stop. These false accusations by certain individuals on Instagram and TikTok are insane and ridiculous at the same time.
“Hate has no place in this world. We know what’s true within our family and we are very happy together. I love you.”
Verstappen is unlikely to receive much love from the social media community or the drama that comes with being a race car driver following the latest incident. The 26-year-old has voiced his desire to lead a normal life away from F1, but this has turned out to be impossible lately.
