Max Verstappen Denied Mercedes-AMG Rental Car by Sixt Because He's Too Young

Three-time and reigning Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen wanted to take a vacation in the offseason, so he rented a collection of cars for his friends and family to use over two days at Portugal's Algarve International Circuit. One of those cars was a Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door, which rental firm Sixt reportedly would not allow Verstappen to leave with as its insurance prohibited renting a car that quick to someone under 30 years old.

Verstappen is just 26, leaving him unqualified to drive a road car capable of 195 mph in the eyes of the firm's insurance policy. His 54 wins, 32 poles, and 98 podium finishes in a Formula 1 car were not enough to get the requirement waived immediately, nor were his history of beating the Mercedes-AMG F1 team or his two F1 podiums at the actual Algarve track where he planned to take the car. Verstappen instead had to give the car to his manager and leave in a BMW 5-Series, bringing his potential top speed down to an electronically limited 155 mph.

While the original decision was a blanket choice that would have seemingly been made for any driver under 30, the brand has already apologized to Verstappen and added that the special circumstances of his racing resume would get him in any rental car he wanted in the future. In a statement shared with the Sun, a Sixt representative says that Verstappen "can rent the car he wants from us at any time."

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