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    Max Verstappen snubbed from hiring Mercedes AMG GT with top speed of 195mph on holiday — as he’s ‘too young’

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    FORMULA One world champion Max Verstappen was snubbed when he tried to hire a high-performance car on holiday — as he was too young.The 26-year-old Dutch ace — used to racing at well over 200mph — was denied access to the Mercedes, which has a top speed of 195mph.
    Formula One ace Max Verstappen was unable to hire a Mercedes from car rental firm Sixt when he went on holidayCredit: Splash News
    Staff said that allowing Verstappento take the AMG GT motor would have breached its insurance policyCredit: Mercedes
    Staff at car rental firm Sixt said that allowing Verstappen — who won his first grand prix aged 18 — to take the AMG GT motor would have breached its insurance policy as he is under 30.
    The Red Bull racer, who this season won his third consecutive F1 world championship, instead had to make do with a less powerful BMW 5 Series.
    He flew to the Algarve in Portugal with family and friends on three private jets last Monday.
    The party had rented around 20 cars from Sixt at Faro Airport and hired the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve racing circuit for two days before Verstappen flew on to Brazil.
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    A source said: “Max and the group went to Portugal for a fun racing trip and had booked the cars they wanted.
    “When they got to the airport, Max was shocked when he was told he wasn’t allowed to drive the Mercedes he wanted.
    “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 — but those are the rules, so he abided by them.”
    Verstappen, who has hit a top speed of 213mph in his RB19 F1 car, had picked out the Mercedes AMG GT, which can do up to 195.7mph.
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    The BMW he was eventually given can cruise at up to 155.3mph.
    His manager Raymond Vermeulen ended up driving the Mercedes.
    Belgium-born Verstappen has won 54 races and made the podium 98 times in his F1 career.
    He has raced for Red Bull since 2016 and is said to have earned £43million this year alone.
    He began karting aged four and was competing in championships at seven. Dad Jos, 51, was also an F1 driver.
    Former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan has said of Verstappen: “I believe he will turn out to be the greatest driver of all time.”
    A Sixt spokesman said: “The employees of our franchise partner in Portugal have only followed the rules that arise for insurance reasons.
    “In order to find a customer-friendly solution on site, Mr Verstappen was provided with another premium vehicle.
    “However, there can be special circumstances that justify a deviation from rules. This is such a case.
    “We apologise 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.”
    In August, Verstappen appeared to break the speed limit while driving a £2.3million Aston Martin Valkyrie supercar through a tunnel in France.
    Read more on The Sun
    A video showed him to seemingly be at 73mph on a 55mph road.
    His representative was asked to comment.
    Verstappen has hit a top speed of 213mph in his RB19 F1 carCredit: Getty More

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      I was scared when 40ft pylon fell on my car but England star Trent Alexander-Arnold comforted me…I keep replaying crash

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      A MUM was left terrified after a 40ft pylon fell on her car in an accident involving Trent Alexander-Arnold before the footballer comforted her.Louise Wright, 41, had just turned out on to a wet country lane near Knutsford, Cheshire, when a 40ft electric pylon smashed into her car last month – as first revealed in The Sun.
      England star Trent Alexander-Arnold rushed to help weeping mum after 40ft pylon fell on her car in Storm BabetCredit: SWNS
      Louise Wright, 41, was left horrified after the shocking incidentCredit: SWNS
      Bewildered and shocked, the mum-of-two noticed a Range Rover ahead of her and went to go and check on the driver  – finding out later it was the Liverpool ace Trent, 25.
      The shaken Liverpool star was seen getting out and making sure everything was ok.
      The high-voltage power line, weighing around half a ton, smashed down right in front of the England ace’s £90,000 Range Rover with Storm Babet causing 70mph winds.
      Louise, a stay-at-home mum, who lives near Knutsford, said: “I had just been to a gym class.
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      “I was turning out the junction at hardly any speed. There was this massive bang and the car stopped.
      “I could see there was a car in front that had crashed.
      “I thought  – ‘something bad has happened’.
      “I got out and went to the car.
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      “He opened the door and I asked if he was ok.
      “At the time I was running off adrenaline.
      “I broke down in tears when I got in the car with Gareth.
      “I keep replaying it. I might not be here if it had gone through the windscreen.”
      The pylon pierced Louise’s white BMW on the passenger side and she claims Alexander- Arnold’s car had damage on the front passenger side.
      Now Louise and her husband, Gareth, 40, say they face £650 in excess and high premium rates on their insurance for the next five to six years, following the crash.
      Louise and Gareth, a communications director, claim it wasn’t windy and are not certain the pylon came down because of Storm Babet.
      Gareth said: “It wasn’t windy that day but it was really wet.
      “If she’d been a metre forward it would have come through the windscreen.
      “She was really shaken by it.”
      Louise added: “It’s been quite a big stress for us as a family.”
      Police arrived on the scene shortly after the incident and gave Louise Alexander-Arnold’s insurance details.
      Gareth and Louise’s insurance company have written to Alexander-Arnold and are awaiting a response.
      They say the accident could cause them around a £1,000 a year on their insurance by making a claim.
      Luckily the car is repairable but will cost £16,800 to fix.
      It comes as Manchester United star Marcus Rashford rushed to help a woman driver after a horror crash in his £700,000 Rolls-Royce.
      The Prem striker had just left United’s Carrington base before the smash in September.
      Read More on The Sun
      He got out of the car without trouble and immediately went over to make sure the female driver was unhurt.
      Rashford and his teammates had returned from Turf Moor aboard a team coach.
      Trent Alexander-Arnold avoided death by inches after a 40ft electricity pylon was uprooted in treacherous 70mph windsCredit: Getty More