GEORGE RUSSELL confronted his examiner after failing his first driving test at the age of 17. The Mercedes star is now one of the best young drivers in F1 but there was a time when he let his confidence get the better of him.
George Russell's failed driving test
He failed his first driving test at 17 because he thought that being a great driver on the track was good enough. "He came home fuming that the examiner was wrong.
The story goes that Hamilton is a great visual learner. He says he only had three official lessons before taking his test but spent hours preparing by watching his father drive from the back seat. Even without the practice, he was a natural, passing his test on the first try.
I'm one of Formula 1's biggest stars but normal cars scare me and I failed my theory test. Formula 1 superstar Lando Norris has told talkSPORT why he failed his theory test and finds driving on the road scarier than a race track.
The McLaren star also admitted that he failed his driving theory test on the first attempt, before passing second time and nailing his practical assessment.
Formula One's first 17-year-old racer became the sport's first 18-year-old driver on Wednesday and Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen celebrated his birthday by passing his test at the first attempt.
I passed my driving test at the ripe old age of 32, having failed it twice as a teenager and deciding that someone somewhere was trying to tell me something.
China, Hungary and Montenegro are the hardest countries to pass your driving test. On balance, these countries have tough theory tests and require more practical experience before being able to sit a practical test.
Indeed, Cha Sa-soon, age 69, estimated that it cost her well over $10,000 to finally pass the South Korea drivers' test. Of course, she took it 960 times before finally passing in 2010 and now holds the world's record for most failed attempts.
Jenson Button
Speaking to the Swindon Advertiser, his instructor, Roger Brunt, revealed he failed a then 17-year-old Jenson as the future sportsman drove "too close" to a parked car. Jenson passed on his second attempt.
Prost incident at the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, Japan is one of Formula One's most infamous and controversial events. Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost's long-running rivalry came to a peak during the race, with the two drivers clashing on the first turn.
when it took Lewis Hamilton six hours. It's a driving record that even Lewis Hamilton couldn't achieve. But Daniel Lloyd has passed his driving test on his 17th birthday after just 90 minutes tuition.
One of the most controversial incidents took place at the 2021 F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix when Verstappen allegedly brake-checked Hamilton. During the race, Hamilton was about to overtake Verstappen, but the Dutchman defended his position by going off the track.
In the last 40 years, only six drivers were suspended, with Romain Grosjean being the latest.
You do have to be rich to be a Formula 1 driver because the process of getting to F1 costs a lot of money. While drivers don't have to come from multi-millionaire or billionaire households, the stark reality is that you cannot be poor and get into F1.
Ricciardo also added that he doesn't know Verstappen can drive a manual car or not. It seems likely that the Dutchman is more comfortable behind the wheel of an automatic car!
The driving test pass rate in Victoria is around 60%, meaning just over half of learner drivers pass their driving test, while around 40% of learners fail. And the same is true for NSW. A government survey found over 130,000 driving tests were attempted in NSW alone, with a driving test pass rate of 57.4%.
If you feel anxious before a test, you certainly aren't alone! Maybe that's why around 50% of people fail their driving test the first time. Moreover, up to 40% of people fail their written test the first time they attempt it.
The high density of traffic on the roads today, complicated traffic systems plus the hundreds of rules and regulations that are designed to keep us safe on the roads mean that learning to drive – and passing a driving test – is tougher and more complicated than ever.
Just like with global passport power, the UK takes the crown with the most powerful (most transferable) driving licence in the world!
1: Max Verstappen - 17 years and 180 days (2015)
The record for the youngest ever points scorer in Formula 1 belongs to Max Verstappen.
In terms of career wins and total career points, Lewis Hamilton is the best Formula 1 driver to have ever graced a circuit.