Max Verstappen, three-time Formula 1 World Champion, was refused his chosen rental car when he arrived at Faro airport earlier this month.
According to a report by The Sun, the 26-year-old champion tried to hire a Mercedes AMG GT, from rent-a-car company Sixt at Faro airport in the Algarve.
He was refused the vehicle because you need to be 30 years old to hire the car in question.
The Sun reported: โWhen they got to the airport, Max was shocked when he was told he wasnโt allowed to drive the Mercedes he wanted.
โHeโs a seasoned F1 driver whoโs used to handling powerful cars, so itโs quite astonishing to think he wasnโt allowed to get behind the wheel of this one โ but those are the rules, so he abided by them.โ
Contacted by the British newspaper, the Sixt clarified that: โThe employees of our franchise partner in Portugal have only followed the rules that arise for insurance reasons.
โIn order to find a customer-friendly solution on site, Mr Verstappen was provided with another premium vehicle.
โHowever, there can be special circumstances that justify a deviation from rules. This is such a case.
โWe apologise to Mr. Verstappen. He can rent the car he wants from us at any time.
โThere is of course no doubt at all about his driving skills and his experience with powerful cars.โ
The three-time Formula 1 world champion was in the Algarve, at the Autรณdromo Internacional do Algarve (AIA), to drive a Verstappen.com Racing Ferrari 296 GT3, in a test session that began on December 19th
