Despite being a three-time Formula 1 World Champion, Max Verstappen was recently blocked from hiring a Mercedes AMG GT, capable of 195 mph.
Verstappen and some friends recently travelled to the Algarve in Portugal, to enjoy some downtime after what’s been a sensational year for the Red Bull driver.
Reportedly, the 26-year-old and his friends hired around 20 cars from Sixt at Faro Airport, with the intention of taking them to the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve racing circuit.
This is where the Portuguese Grand Prix was held in 2020 and 2021, with both races having been won by Lewis Hamilton.
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Verstappen was keen on thundering around the circuit in a Mercedes AMG GT, a feat which would’ve been little to no challenge for the Dutchman, considering what he does for a living!
However, he was shocked to discover that he was banned from hiring the powerful GT car, as Sixt have a key insurance policy which denies under 30s from driving the powerful car.
“Max and the group went to Portugal for a fun racing trip and had booked the cars they wanted,” a source of The Sun said, as per The Express.
“When they got to the airport, Max was shocked when he was told he wasn’t allowed to drive the Mercedes he wanted. He’s a seasoned F1 driver who’s used to handling powerful cars, so it’s quite astonishing to think he wasn’t allowed to get behind the wheel of this one — but those are the rules, so he abided by them.”
Incredibly, Verstappen later received a formal apology from Sixt, who insisted that under “special circumstances”, the Red Bull driver should’ve been allowed to hire the car.
A Sixt spokesman confirmed that Verstappen was still able to hire a “premium vehicle” and that the employee the Dutchman and his friends spoke to simply “followed the rules”.
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Whilst the employee technically did nothing wrong, Verstappen has been reassured that in the future he can rent whatever car he wants from Sixt.
“The employees of our franchise partner in Portugal have only followed the rules that arise for insurance reasons,” said a Sixt spokesman. “In order to find a customer-friendly solution on site, Mr Verstappen was provided with another premium vehicle.
“However, there can be special circumstances that justify a deviation from rules. This is such a case. We apologise to Mr Verstappen. He can rent the car he wants from us at any time. There is of course no doubt at all about his driving skills and his experience with powerful cars.”