Max Verstappen was denied the chance to hire out a Mercedes high-performance car on holiday because he was bizarrely deemed too young.
The Formula One world champion is accustomed to racing high-tech machines at speeds exceeding 200mph but was unable to climb behind the wheel of an AMG GT.
Verstappen, 26, was keen to take the motor, which has a top speed of 195mph, for a spin around a track in Portugal after booking the circuit during his downtime.
But car rental firm Sixt turned down his request and revealed that allowing him to take on the car would have breached their insurance policy as he is under 30.
Motorsport superstar Verstappen and a group of his friends and family flew to the Algarve in Portugal last week on three private jets, according to The Sun.
Max Verstappen was denied the chance to hire out at a Mercedes AMG GT while on holiday
The Formula One superstar is accustomed to racing around tracks at speeds topping 200mph
The top-of-the-range AMG GT (pictured) can reach a blistering top speed of 195.7mph
The party rented around 20 cars from Sixt at Faro Airport and also hired the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve circuit for two days.
Verstappen was instead forced to settle for a less powerful BMW 5 Series.
‘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,’ a source told The Sun.
‘But those are the rules, so he abided by them.’
Verstappen and his party booked the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve circuit for two days
The three-time world champion was untouchable last season, having won 19 out of 22 races
Verstappen is currently enjoying some downtime ahead of the upcoming new F1 campaign
Verstappen’s BMW has a top speed of 155.3mph, a figure that pales in comparison to the 195.7mph the top-of-the-range Mercedes AMG GT can reach.
His manager, Raymond Vermeulen, was able to drive the Mercedes.
A Sixt spokesman said: ‘The employees of our franchise partner in Portugal have only followed the rules that arise for insurance reasons.
‘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.’
