Max Verstappen is facing a police investigation after appearing to break the speed limit on the A8 highway in France.
The A8 autoroute, which connects Menton and Provence, has a speed limit of 88kph.
The Dutchman was reportedly caught driving well over this limit, at 117kph, in his €4.5m Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar.
There is a video of the Dutchman driving with one hand on the wheel as he changes settings on his monitor.
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He also appears to be wearing headphones – every Valkyrie comes with a “helicopter-grade noise-cancelling headset.”
This is due to the thunderous noise generated by the vehicle, which can “damage” eardrums.
These types of headphones are reportedly prohibited, adding to the rules that Verstappen may have broken.
According to media source Nice Martin, the two-time F1 world champion may find himself afoul of the French authorities for this infraction.
The newspaper says the General Directorate of the National Gendarmerie could examine the video.
The video also appears to show Verstappen sticking to the left-hand lane, which is against compliance with France’s highway code.
There has been social media backlash against the Red Bull driver, with commenters saying he is “endangering the lives of others.”
Others noted that speeding close to 30kph over the limit “can be all the difference needed to harm people”.
This is exactly the type of negative press that Verstappen will be wanting to avoid ahead of the Dutch GP this weekend.
The Dutchman is currently leading the 2023 Driver Standings with 314 points, having won ten of the first 12 races of the season.
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The Dutchman is on course to draw level with Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine straight wins at the Zandvoort Circuit.
Aston Martin has claimed that the Valkyrie is the closest a vehicle can be to an F1 car while also being legal to drive on the road.
The hypercar can reach up to speeds of 354kph thanks to its powerful 6.5 litre V12 engine.