Max Verstappen, being one of the best F1 drivers in the word, should be someone who can be trusted with any vehicle on the road no matter how tough they are to operate. However, that was not how things went down during his driving test for his license as the Dutchman failed to follow simple instructions from his examiner.
According to a recent post on X by RBR Daily, Verstappen revealed as per The Times,
“The examiner told me to go right and I went left. Then I didn’t give way [to pedestrians at a crossing]. He was not very happy. I argued with him because I thought they were not actually at the crossing. So I was, like, ‘But they’re not there yet, so why should I stop?'”
Even though he flouted the rule at first, Verstappen got the driver’s license anyway. Interestingly, even before he received his road license, the Dutch driver began racing in F1, the most elite form of motorsport. This was a staggering feat given he was just 17 years old at the time.
The 26-year-old tested with Formula Renault 3.5 car before Toro Rosso gave him a seat for the 2015 F1 season alongside Carlos Sainz. He ended up becoming the youngest driver in the sport’s history. This, however, won’t be possible due to the FIA’s new regulations.
According to the new rule by the FIA, every driver has to be at least 18 years of age before they are allowed to have a Super license and race in F1. The fact that Verstappen got into F1 without winning the F2 championship was surprising. There are many junior talents today, who despite winning the championship, fail to find an F1 seat.
Big heads were divided on Max Verstappen’s debut due to his age
Red Bull caused a stir back in 2014 when they announced that they are going to give Max Verstappen a seat in 2015. This was outrageous for everyone given Verstappen did not have enough experience in single-seater racing.
Red Bull top bosses Christian Horner and Helmut Marko were fully supportive of the move as Horner believed that the Dutchman was a generational talent.
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso also supported Horner and Co. on Verstappen’s debut. He said that age is just a number as some people get ready at the age of 17, while some get ready at the age of 28.However, the then FIA President Jean Todt and two-time F1 champion Mika Hakkinen believed that Verstappen was too young.
