There’s a reason insurance companies charge young boys higher premiums; it’s almost inevitable they’ll crash. Take young Max Verstappen; a 16-year-old future F1 star who managed to crash his new employers’ car at a promotional event in front of hundreds of onlookers.
Verstappen, who will replace Jean-Eric Vergne at Torro Rosso for the 2015 season, becoming the youngest ever F1 driver in the process, was asked to show off in front of crowds at the Formula 1 VKV City Racing event in Rotterdam. The idea was that he’d wheel the F1 challenger out, perform a few donuts and generally impressive the assembled masses. Unfortunately things didn’t quite go according to plan.
Footage posted to YouTube shows the teen pulling off a handful of successful donuts in a small, Armco-lined square, before coming to rest just short of a barrier. Failing to select reverse gear, he asks marshalls to push his car back a few feet before attempting another spin.
Things then get drastically worse for the youngster, who either misjudges the car’s turning circle or forgets where the brakes are located, crashing into a barrier and breaking the car’s front wing.
Surprisingly, this wasn’t Verstappen’s first time behind the wheel of an F1 car. The Dutch teen has driven during testing in England and driven over Rotterdam’s Erasmus Bridge. This was, however, the only time he’s driven an F1 car and immediately wanted the Earth to swallow him up.
Should Verstappen be allowed in F1? Was this just a one-off mistake? Has Torro Rosso made a mistake or should we give the kid a break? Comments below, please.
Leave a Reply