Despite being a successful Formula 1 driver at a young age, Max Verstappen had a challenging time during his practical driving test, arguing with the examiner over road rules, but still managed to pass on his first attempt.
Highlights
‣ Max Verstappen, a Dutch Formula 1 driver, was considered a child prodigy, competing in the sport from the age of 16.
‣ Despite his professional driving experience, Verstappen had some difficulties during his practical driving test in Belgium in 2015.
‣ Verstappen received a warning during his driving test for not following the examiner’s instructions and not giving way to pedestrians at a crossing.
‣ Despite these issues, Verstappen passed his driving test in one attempt and attributes his success to the examiner being nice to him.
Max Verstappen? Yeah, he’s a wunderkind. By 16, he was already making waves in Formula 1. While his peers were just getting the hang of their scooters, Verstappen was out there, rubbing shoulders with the world’s best car drivers. When he hit 18, you’d think getting a driving license would be a piece of cake, right?
Well, not quite.
In 2015, after the Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen jetted back to Belgium. He had a practical test lined up. The car he had to show off his skills in? An Opel. A far cry from the high-speed, high-tech machines he was used to on the international circuits.
Verstappen’s Close Shave
The exam didn’t start off great. Verstappen had a warning before he could even get into the swing of things. “The examiner told me to go right and I went left,” he confessed to The Sunday Times. He also didn’t yield to pedestrians at a crossing. The examiner wasn’t thrilled. Verstappen argued, insisting the pedestrians weren’t at the crossing yet. His response? “But they’re not there yet, so why should I stop?”
Despite these hiccups, Verstappen aced his driving test on the first try. Reflecting on that day, the Red Bull Racing driver admitted, “Yeah, luckily. It would be quite embarrassing if I hadn’t. I think he was nice to me.”
