All Max Verstappen wanted for Christmas was to drive the brand new Mercedes AMG GT Coupe along with his friends and family at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal. However, Sixt, the company the Dutchman hired the cars from, refused him the opportunity to drive the $180,000 beast due to the 26-year-old being ‘too young‘. In the aftermath, the company has now issued an apology.
The apology read (as quoted by PlanetF1.com), “The employees of our franchise partner in Portugal have only followed the rules that arise for insurance reasons. We apologize 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.”
F1: Max Verstappen blocked from hiring Mercedes car that goes 195mph while on holiday – Express https://t.co/eVqskTTskw
— Mark Beacham – VK3XB/5Z4XB/A65B (@MarkBeacham) December 25, 2023
Max Verstappen took a retreat to Portugal to enjoy an exhilarating track day with his friends and family. After being refused the AMG GT, the three-time Formula 1 world champion had to make do with a BMW 5 Series instead. Since Verstappen is a multiple-time F1 world champion, it was surprising to hear that he had been denied an opportunity to drive the AMG GT.
Max Verstappen’s manager was not too pleased about the Mercedes snub
Max Verstappen’s manager, Raymond Vermeulen, has revealed how shocked he was to learn about the snub. “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,” explained Vermeulen.
What would’ve made the refusal even more painful is the fact that his arch-nemesis, Lewis Hamilton, flaunted his skills behind the wheel of the very same car in a promotional video for the German automobile giants. Nonetheless, the stop to Portugal was just one part of Verstappen’s elaborate plans for the off-season.
Lewis Hamilton mostra o novo AMG GT.
— “Ei, posso fazer alguns zerinhos?”
— “Desculpe, está empoeirado agora”
O Mr. Mercedes mostra o que o novo superesportivo é capaz de fazer.
— Mercedes-AMG F1 Brasil (@MercedesAMGF1BR) August 19, 2023
As it turns out, he was headed to Brazil to attend Nelson Piquet Jr.’s wedding. He added that he will also spend Christmas there to prevent himself from traveling back to Europe again.
