One of the most surreal news in the world of motor racing occurred during this holiday period for F1 drivers. And the best thing is that it is related to the main star of the competition, Max Verstappen.
The three-time world champion, who wiped his opponents off the map with a relentless succession of exhibitions, encountered an unexpected surprise before arriving at the Autodromo Internacional Do Algarve. It was a totally unexpected defeat.
And we already know that the great competitor from the Netherlands is not used to losing. Let’s remember that in 2023 he took 19 victories out of a possible 22. And, of course, he doubled in points the second-placed Checo Perez, who had to settle for being runner-up, 290 points behind his garage neighbor. The beating will be one of those that will be remembered forever and ever.
Nothing is beyond the reach of the Dutch star, at least as far as the Grand Prix is concerned. At 26 years of age, he already has 54 victories. In other words, he is the third most successful driver in history. He is still a long way behind Lewis Hamilton (1st with 103) and Michael Schumacher (2nd with 91). But if he continues at the pace of the last three seasons (10+15+19), he will soon be alone at the summit.
He could not rent the sports car he wanted
The fact is that this is what happened during competition, but during the mandatory winter break an unusual event occurred. The Dutchman was unable to drive a Mercedes-AMG GT rental because he was too young.
Verstappen went to Portugal, where he had rented the Portimao circuit (Portugal) to have a good time with his friends and family. When he landed at Faro Airport, he went to the Sixt counter, the company he chose to rent the vehicles he needed. And that’s when he was met with the unpleasant surprise that he was not allowed to take the Mercedes-AMG GT he had demanded. The reason is mind-boggling. Insurance requires drivers to be at least 30 years old, and as everyone knows Max is only 26.
Max couldn’t believe it
The Sun newspaper revealed that Verstappen was shocked when he was told he could not rent the car he had ordered. Then a Sixt spokesman emphasized that the employees had made a logical decision considering that he would have violated the established rules. In the end, Sixt gave him the option of borrowing “another premium vehicle” and Max chose a BMW 5 Series, a less powerful car, which can reach 250 km/h (155 mph).
