Reigning World Champion Max Verstappen enters this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix in hot water, after a video of him speeding went viral on social media.
A clip has surfaced onto social media appearing to show Verstappen speeding in an incredibly rare €2.7 million Aston Martin Valkyrie, supposedly on a motorway near Monaco – where he resides.
The video in question was posted by Verstappen’s friend Mark Cox, which clearly showed the two-time World Champion driving at what appeared to be high-speed.
The exact road in which the incident took place is believed to be the Nice Nord bypass motorway near Monte Carlo.
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In the 20 second clip posted by Cox, Verstappen is driving through the Canta-Galet tunnel, where the speed limit is 90km/h.
Verstappen was doing 124km/h.
This could be of interest to the French police, along with the fact that the Red Bull driver was wearing a special headset supplied by Aston Martin, to deal with the engine noise.
As well as that, the 25-year-old was driving in the wrong lane.
The clip hasn’t gone down well on social media, making many believe that Verstappen could be contacted by the authority.
Several Twitter users slammed the Dutchman as being “irresponsible”, whilst one complained that Verstappen was “putting himself and all the other drivers on the road in danger, especially in a tunnel where it can become death row.”
Given the role the FIA plays in promoting safe driving, the championship leader may even receive a word from the governing body.
With Verstappen being a role model to thousands across the globe, the video doesn’t exactly give off the correct message, even if the car and himself are more than capable of driving at remarkable speeds.
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Whether he’s asked about the incident this weekend at his home race remains to be seen, although given how viral the video has gone, questions are likely.
He’s targeting a ninth consecutive win of the season this weekend at Zandvoort, which would see him match Sebastian Vettel’s record for nine wins in a row, which he achieved in 2013.
Another win would also see Verstappen move ever closer to a third consecutive title.