Max Verstappen deemed too young to rent a sports car on vacation

You can be the best driver in the world, but be refused a car rental. Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen was unable to get behind the wheel of a Mercedes AMG GT while on vacation in Portugal.

As revealed by the British daily The Sunthe RedBull driver, who had reserved a few laps on the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve circuit, placed an order for this large engine which can reach 315 km/h, has the Sixt agency at Faro airport, in the south of the country. But the rental company told him no.

You must be 30 years old

The three-time F1 world champion – and record holder for victories in a season – is only 26 years old. However, Sixt company policy specifies that it refuses the rental of such powerful cars to those less than 30 years old. The Sixt rental group behind this unusual story confirmed the information to the English media The Sun. “The employees of our franchise partner in Portugal only followed the rules established for insurance reasons, indicates the group, before specifying: “In order to find a solution on site, Mr. Verstappen received another high-end vehiclee”. Max Verstappen therefore finally left with a BMW 5 Series.

And in a final wink, the group, which offers itself a publicity stunt in passing, nevertheless slips that “There is of course no doubt about his driving skills and experience with powerful cars. From today, he can rent the car he wants from us at any time.”