Kelly Piquet revealed a surprising nugget of information about her boyfriend Max Verstappen in a new interview which has divided opinion among motorsport fans.

The 34-year-old model, daughter of disgraced former Formula 1 champion Nelson Piquet, will be the cover star of the Dutch edition of Vogue magazine for the January edition. The news was announced this week, while several photos and snippets of the cover story have been released.

In one promotional post on social media, Vogue published a quote from Piquet in which she talks about her relationship with Verstappen. More specifically, she discussed the idea of the double champion buying her a car.

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And in doing so, she suggested the Dutchman harbours a dislike for electric cars. Piquet is quoted as having said: “If Max would say to me: ‘I want to buy you a car’, I would say: ‘An electric one, please’. He would die if I say that, die!”

There are currently no plans for F1 to begin using electric engines and the prospect of that changing in the lifespan of Verstappen’s racing career appears slim. But his apparent preference for petrol fumes might rule out his prospects of a future appearance in an all-electric series such as Formula E.

While that quote from Piquet is a harmless one, the overall interview has sparked some backlash from motorsport fans. A photo of the magazine cover shows the German-born Brazilian model wearing a racing helmet while in other images she dons overalls, in a feature which appears to portray her as a leader among women in motorsport.

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Piquet has worked in motorsport in the past, having previously been responsible for social media coverage of Formula E. But her only current connections with F1 appear to be her relationship with Verstappen and the fact she is the daughter of a former champion.

That has led to some questioning why she was chosen to be the poster girl for women in racing. The group Females in Motorsport posted the front cover on social media along with a statement in which it criticised Vogue’s decision not to use someone who, in its eyes, is more representative of racing women.

“Seeing Kelly Piquet on the cover of Vogue representing women in motorsport is disappointing,” the group wrote. “There are so many women out there who actually compete in the sport and who have faced constant adversity. These racers should have had their stories heard instead.”

 

Some followers agreed, including several who suggested the likes of W Series champion Jamie Chadwick, World Endurance Championship racer Doriane Pin and Red Bull strategy chief Hannah Schmitz might have made for more appropriate choices.

But others defended the decision to profile Piquet, including Ciara Chambers who wrote: “This is Vogue Netherlands, the home of the F1 champion who happens to be her partner. Not to mention it’s Vogue – a fashion magazine first and foremost, Kelly is a model, this actually makes perfect sense for their brand.”

After some criticism over the initial statement, Females in Motorsport went on to clarify: “This is not a personal attack on Kelly but rather questioning why the decision was made to position her as a representative for women in motorsport.”