The Instagram “story” is obviously an impressive buzz. We can see Verstappen there, one hand on the steering wheel, the other tapping the touch screen of his Aston Martin. The video of Mark Cox, personal trainer and friend of Verstappen is barely 20 seconds long, but it triggers reactions (principle of a good buzz NDLA). It was taken in the Canta-Galet tunnel, on the highway that bypasses Nice from the north.
We see him driving at 124 km / h counter. A “low” speed for a driver accustomed to driving at more than 300 km/h in formula 1. Especially since the Valkyrie is a supercar worthy of the best Formula 1. It was designed by the brilliant Adrian Newey, father of many world champion single-seaters, and current designer of the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Perez.
And then will you tell us? Well the tunnel is limited to 90 km/h. Driving at 124 km/h is therefore a speeding ticket for the Dutch driver residing in Monaco. He could at least receive a fine (but no loss of points because he does not have a French license). In addition, he stays in the left lane, which is also prohibited under the French highway code.
But there is also a point that may be debatable: he wears noise-canceling headphones. However, the CoR stipulates that the wearing of earphones or headphones is prohibited in the car. Certainly. Except that here, the helmet is used to hear what is happening outside the car! Indeed, the Valkyrie is so loud inside that Aston Martin has provided a microphone on the outside to capture all the sounds (sirens, horns, etc.) which is then transmitted to this helmet. It is therefore a special case that our Highway Code has probably not foreseen.
Can Verstappen be prosecuted?
Under the law: yes. There is even a specialized cell at the General Directorate of the Gendarmerie which tracks on social networks and the internet this kind of videos where people film themselves in the process of achieving speed peaks, or dangerous driving. They can be sued. In the absence of approved radar, pursuits are often oriented towards dangerous driving, endangering the lives of others and other “inappropriate speeds”.
Will Verstappen be prosecuted? Not sure. The pilot is “only” at 34 km/h above the speed limit and in the video, he does not zigzag (we are not in grand prix after all…) or does not roll on the emergency stop strip. It was not Amaury Cordeel who filmed himself at 179 km/h in town, for example.
However, in the age of instant media and “overinformation”, some point to the bad image it gives. We should not be surprised after some young people (or not so young) seek to imitate Verstappen or others. After all if they do it, we can do it well.
Even during summer break Max is driving a Newey spaceship😭 pic.twitter.com/9qAMW0agSB
— Enzo (@Aperta) August 19, 2023
Our opinion, by leblogauto.com
Should public figures always lead by example? It’s an endless debate. A few months ago, it was a sentence from Sébastien Loeb that made people talk. There, we have a world champion who drives too fast. This controversy would inevitably have made F1 drivers of the 70s, 80s and even 90s laugh. It must be said that they were not stupid enough to film themselves and put this on the internet (which did not exist, we grant you).
At a time when everything is scrutinized, Max Verstappen, who is not a partridge of the year should be careful. Unless he has nothing to do with it and we will know very quickly. Because journalists will not fail to ask him the question of this video, probably this weekend in Zandvoort.
