Max Verstappen, the three-time Formula One world champion after a season of near-complete dominance, is undoubtedly accustomed to driving cars with top speeds that frequently exceed 350 kilometers per hour (km/h). Nonetheless, despite being the youngest driver to win a Grand Prix (GP) in the premier motorsports category – he won in Barcelona in 2016 at the age of 18 – he was deemed “too young” to drive a Mercedes AMG GT.
The incident occurred last week while the Dutchman was in the Algarve testing a GT3 Ferrari 296 GTB on the Portimo circuit. According to the British newspaper The Sun, Verstappen attempted to rent the aforementioned car, but because it can exceed 314 km/h, it can only be rented by clients aged 30 and up, according to Sixt car rental rules. Because the Red Bull champion is only 26 years old, he was unable to obtain his first choice, instead opting for a BMW capable of reaching 250 km/h.
The English daily newspaper contacted a spokesperson for a car rental company, who stated that “the employees only complied with the rules imposed for safety reasons.” However, he stated, “It is quite surprising that he was not allowed to drive the Mercedes.”
Nonetheless, “special circumstances may justify a deviation from the rules.” It is one of those instances. We sincerely apologize to Mr Verstappen. He is free to rent any car from us at any time. Of course, there is no doubt about his driving skills and experience with powerful vehicles,” he concluded.
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