The winter break is a much-needed time off for Formula 1 drivers. They get to spend close to a month of quality time with their family, friends, and loved ones before they get back to the preparations for the upcoming season. With Christmas and New Year celebrations close to each other, we get to witness glimpses of what our favorite drivers are up to through their social media updates. And for Max Verstappen and his girlfriend Kelly Piquet, the New Year’s Eve could not have been more perfect.

Having been in a close relationship for almost 3 years now, the duo, along with Piquet’s daughter Penelope, has evolved into a close-knit family. Max Verstappen often lets his girlfriend influence how he spends his time during the off-season.

Max Verstappen had a ton of fun with his girlfriend as we said goodbye to 2023

In a recent video released by Red Bull, Verstappen shared insights into their Christmas plans, revealing, “Lately, it’s Brazil [Piquet’s home] or just at home in Monaco. But you know there it’s warm, right? So it’s a bit of a different Christmas. A few drinks and yeah, I don’t know, jump in the pool.”

The Dutchman’s choice to spend the holidays with the Piquet family reflects a tight bond, prompting fans to speculate when will they take the plunge to tie the knot. Verstappen, known for his early romantic gestures towards Piquet on social media, now keeps their relationship more private and often chooses to sidestep the questions fired at him regarding his relationship.

However, Max Verstappen did spend some quality time with his girlfriend on New Year’s Eve. We got the update through Kelly’s Instagram stories where she shared glimpses of spending time playing Mario Kart, having the last bit of cheers as they had wine for the final time in 2023 and just slowing down to enjoy the snow.

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There’s still some time left before the drivers get back to their routine training regiment to prepare for the upcoming season. However, Red Bull’s boss has laid out what their drivers need to improve for 2024.

Christian Horner sets 2024 goals for Verstappen and Perez

Red Bull had such a dominant 2023 season that there isn’t much scope for improvement if I am being honest. However, that did not stop Christian Horner from setting up early goals for 2024 even though we have quite some time before the 2024 season gets underway.

Following a year of unparalleled dominance, Horner took to the Sky F1 podcast to outline New Year resolutions for his drivers, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, For the Dutchman, whose stellar performance in 2023 left little room for improvement, Horner’s resolution was simple, “Just keep doing what you’re doing.“

𝟏𝟗 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑! 🎉😳

Max’ 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐃-𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 season ends on a high, with the win at the Yas Marina Circuit! 🎇😍#AbuDhabiGP

— Max Verstappen (@VerstappenCOM) November 26, 2023

Horner, visibly impressed, remarked, “What an unbelievable year, he’s just been absolutely incredible. So it’s impossible to fault, the season that he’s had.” With Verstappen finishing off the podium only once and securing second place in races he didn’t win, Horner acknowledges there’s little advice to offer the Dutch driver.

However, he identified a specific area of improvement for the Mexican driver Sergio Perez. With 2024 marking the final year of Checo’s current Red Bull deal, the focus is on enhancing his qualifying performance. Horner highlighted, “I think his biggest resolution will be to sort his qualifying out. That’s been his Achilles’ heel at certain points this year.“ Horner emphasized the importance of consistent front-row starts to apply pressure on the competition throughout the championship.

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Can Checo close the gap to Max Verstappen in 2024 or are we going to see a repeat of 2023 all over again? Share your insights in the comments below.