Formula One world champion Max Verstappen is REJECTED when trying to rent a Mercedes AMG on holiday by a car-hire firm… as strict staff stick by their rules!
- Max Verstappen tried to rent out a powerful machine during his holiday
- But the world champion was denied a Mercedes AMG GT by a rental company
- Sixt said it would have been against Verstappen's policy to take the car
Max Verstappen was denied the chance to rent a high-performance Mercedes car on holiday because he was bizarrely deemed too young.
The Formula 1 world champion is used to racing high-tech machines at speeds of more than 320 km/h, but could not get behind the wheel of an AMG GT.
Verstappen, 26, was keen to take the bike, which has a top speed of 315 km/h, for a spin on a track in Portugal after booking the circuit during his downtime.
But car rental company Sixt rejected his request, revealing that it would have been a breach of their insurance policy for him to take over the car as he is under 30 years old.
Motorsport superstar Verstappen and a group of his friends and family flew to the Algarve in Portugal on three private jets last week The sun.
Max Verstappen was denied the opportunity to rent out a Mercedes AMG GT during his holiday
The Formula 1 superstar is used to racing around circuits at speeds in excess of 200mph
The group rented approximately twenty cars from Sixt at Faro airport and also rented the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve circuit for two days.
Verstappen instead had to settle for a less powerful BMW 5 Series.
“He's a seasoned F1 driver who is used to driving powerful cars, so it's quite astonishing to think he wasn't allowed to get behind the wheel of this car,” a source told The Sun.
“But those are the rules, so he stuck to them.”
Verstappen and his company booked the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve circuit for two days
The three-time world champion was untouchable last season and won 19 of the 22 races
Verstappen is currently enjoying some downtime ahead of the upcoming new F1 campaign
Verstappen's BMW has a top speed of 250.3 km/h, a figure that pales in comparison to the 315.7 km/h that the top-end Mercedes AMG GT can achieve.
His manager, Raymond Vermeulen, was able to drive the Mercedes.
A spokesperson for Sixt said: 'The employees of our franchise partner in Portugal have only adhered to the rules arising from insurance reasons.
'To find a customer-friendly solution on site, Mr Verstappen was provided with another premium vehicle.
'However, special circumstances may arise that justify a deviation from the rules. This is such a case. Our apologies to Mr Verstappen.
'He can rent the car he wants from us at any time. There is of course no doubt about his driving skills and his experience with powerful cars.'