With F1 in the midst of the winter break, Max Verstappen has not forgotten to use this time for his own benefit. The Dutchman used this opportunity to test Ferrari’s DTM car in Portugal, and also help out his family friend Thierry Vermeulen of Emil Frey Racing, whom he supports through Verstappen.com Racing.
Vermeulen races for Emil Frey and is the son of Raymond Vermeulen, the manager of Verstappen. He gets his driving coaching from Jos Verstappen and there’s no doubt about how close he is to the three-time world champion. He helps Vermeulen a lot with different aspects of his racing career. This was a huge reason behind Verstappen traveling to Portugal and test out the DTM.
Great to be out on track again, testing with @VerstappenCOM Racing Good times ☝️ pic.twitter.com/VyXcVx3zfd
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) December 19, 2023
As Verstappen reached Portimão to test for Emil Frey, Lorenz Frey-Hilti spoke said to Motorsport Total (as quoted by Motorsport), “The aim of the test with Max was to support Thierry and also to improve our performance with his feedback.”
Verstappen drove the Ferrari 296 car that Emil Frey will use after shifting from Lamborghini to Ferrari this year. Interestingly, this wasn’t the first time Verstappen chose to drive a rival car during this winter break. He did drive a Ferrari, but when it came to Mercedes, he wasn’t allowed to do so.
Mercedes ride denied for Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen witnessed an unexpected twist during the winter break when he was in Portugal. The Dutchman arrived in Algarve, a region in Portugal where he tried to rent a Mercedes AMG GT from a rental company named Sixt.
However, he was denied as the rule of the company says one has to be at least 30 years old to rent a premium car of that sort. Therefore, Verstappen, being 26 years old could not get his hands on the desired vehicle, as reported by De Telegraaf.
While on holiday in Portugal, Max Verstappen was denied by the staff of the car rental firm, Sixt, for being “too young” to drive a car that can do 195 mph.
The car? A Mercedes-AMG GT. pic.twitter.com/fGXYHWAAEO
— Vincenzo Landino (@vincenzolandino) December 27, 2023
After realizing that they denied the best driver in the world a car, the company issued an apology. They insisted they were only following their policy due to insurance rules. With that, they also offered the Dutchman another premium car to rent under special circumstances.
Now, however, Max Verstappen is in Brazil now to attend Nelson Piquet Jr.’s wedding and it is expected that he will soon be back in Milton Keynes to prepare for the upcoming 2024 F1 season and defend his crown.
