In terms of his racing career, reigning Formula One world champion Max Verstappen couldn’t have wished for a better year. He has won 10 of the first 12 races of this season’s championship with the Red Bull car, with the last eight coming back-to-back. However, the two-time F1 winner may be in for some unpleasant news. The Dutchman got into trouble earlier this week after a video purportedly showing him recklessly operating an Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar in France surfaced on the internet. The video, which RBR Daily posted on Twitter, looks to show the F1 speeding around in one of the most costly hypercars. The video soon attracted interest.
The now-deleted video was first posted on Instagram earlier this week by Verstappen’s buddy and personal coach Mark Cox. He appeared to have recorded the footage from the hypercar’s passenger side. The F1 superstar was reportedly in route to Monaco. Verstappen is seen in the video maneuvering the Valkyrie at 74 mph through a tunnel in the vicinity of Nice, France. Between Marseille and Nice, the French A8 highway has a 55 mph speed restriction. Verstappen’s continued use of the left lane, which is clearly against French law, has also angered the French authorities. Verstappen is also seen using headphones while operating the hypercar, which is prohibited in France.
The $3 million Aston Martin Valkyrie is a hybrid hypercar driven by an electric engine and a 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12. The hybrid powertrain produces 1,139 horsepower in total. It goes without saying that one must use extreme caution when applying the brakes and throttle. Additionally, the Cosworth V12 is so noisy that the hypercar is equipped with noise-canceling earphones that are equivalent to those seen on helicopters, which Maxx is seen donning in the video.
The Formula One champion may avoid punishment for his dangerous driving by paying a fee, albeit it is unclear whether this will happen. It’s extremely improbable that the superstar will face punishment from the governing body of Formula One.