Yes, That’s a Three-Year-Old Driving a 986-HP Ferrari SF90 on a Race Track
The kid is more talented than a lot of adults, but still, does he have to be in there alone?
One of my favorite childhood memories was "driving" my dad's K5 Chevy Blazer. Granted, it was just five-year-old me steering hand-over-hand because I couldn't reach the pedals. But to me, I was really driving. Thanks to this kid on Instagram, now I know what it really looks like when a toddler mans the wheel.
Meet Zayn Sofuoglu. He's the three-year-old son of Turkish motorcycle champion-turned-politician Kenan Sofuoglu. Earlier this week, Kenan posted a video to an Instagram account he runs for Zayn—which has over a million followers, by the way—showing the boy driving a 986-horsepower Ferrari SF90 Stradale all on his own.
Now, that video sparked quite a bit of controversy in the comments. While many people were supportive of the toddler's early dedication to driving (and his father's support), others weren't thrilled to see the child behind the wheel.
If you think of it from that perspective, I can understand why you'd be wary of a three-year-old driving a $500,000 supercar. That's especially true since he's doing it from a car seat using modified pedals and even engaging the paddle shifters.
Another video shows Zayn getting behind the wheel of a new Mercedes-Benz EQS and using the surround-view camera to navigate around the family driveway since he couldn't see over the dashboard and reach the pedals at the same time. The 360-degree view camera only remains active until the car hits 10 MPH according to the EQS manual, so it's not like he was speeding around the block.
It's not uncommon for famous drivers' kids to join in on the fun at a young age. The late Ken Block's daughter, Lia, began competing when she was just 11 years old. And I'm all for bolstering the talent of kids, but even I have to admit that I would be hesitant to put my three-year-old behind the wheel, especially without being in the car myself to prevent things from going haywire.
To be fair, Zayn looks like he's been under his father's watchful eye for some time. And, hey, he can certainly handle his own stunting behind the wheel of a go-kart. More than a year ago, when Zayn was just two, his dad posted a video of him executing some pretty intricate spins all on his own.
It's also not like this is happening on public roads. Zayn is piloting these machines under parental supervision, albeit sometimes alone in or on a vehicle, on private property, and on racetracks. Does that make the end result any less risky to the child? Probably not.
Armchair parenting aside, you have to admit that this kid has some impressive skills. Hell, at three I was more interested in collecting bugs from under rocks. But if I had the opportunity to drive the cars that Zayn does, I would look back and smile at it today.
So what do you think, dear reader? Would you let your child loose behind the wheel of a Ferrari or stick to Hot Wheels?
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