Max Verstappen beats 100 drivers in Silverstone kart race
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Four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen started 101st on the grid at Silverstone and overtook all 100 competitors in just 14 laps, completing Red Bull’s “Max vs 100” karting challenge in around 35 minutes
Max Verstappen has completed one of the most unusual motorsport challenges ever staged, winning Red Bull’s Max vs 100 kart race at Silverstone after starting from the back of a 101-kart grid. The event saw Verstappen begin in 101st position and steadily work his way through the entire field, overtaking all 100 rivals in a race that lasted around 35 minutes and concluded on lap 14 of a scheduled 30-lap format. The field comprised athletes, players, content creators, streamers, journalists and fans from around the world. Most were driving the circuit for only the second time, following practice on Tuesday and a single qualifying lap earlier on race day.
Verstappen charges from 101st on the grid
With 101 karts funneling into Silverstone’s opening corners, the race immediately descended into chaos. Verstappen had already passed more than 10 drivers before reaching the start-finish line, while a pile-up at the hairpin left several karts facing the wrong way.
Just two minutes into the race, Verstappen had climbed to 37th place. An extraordinary 63 competitors were eliminated without completing the opening lap, prompting Verstappen to joke over the radio that it had not been a bad first lap.
The event also used an unusual elimination rule. A driver was considered out the moment the rear of Verstappen’s kart drew level with the front of theirs, making every completed overtake final.
On lap seven, motorsport YouTuber Paky TWC, running sixth at the time, even asked Verstappen over the radio not to overtake him. He passed shortly afterwards.
Leaders try to keep Verstappen behind
At the front, pole-sitter Jacky Martens, YouTuber Zac Alsop and Red Bull Ford Powertrains technician Lewis Osler had built a lead of around 12 seconds as the opening-lap incidents unfolded behind them.
Verstappen, however, was closing at roughly three seconds per lap.
With 54 minutes remaining, the Race Director gave the leading group an additional fast lap. Martens, Alsop and Osler used their shortcuts together on lap 12, stopped battling each other for position and began driving defensively in an attempt to delay Verstappen.
It bought them only a little more time. On the following lap, Verstappen caught the group, passed Alsop and Osler in the same corner and then overtook Martens to complete the challenge with 35 minutes still on the clock.
Podium finishers after Verstappen
Verstappen took first place, with Dutch Formula One journalist Jacky Martens second and Red Bull Ford Powertrains technician Lewis Osler third.
Zac Alsop finished fourth, ahead of off-road motorcyclist Pol Tarrés in fifth. Livestreamer RDJavi, photographer Larry Chen, mountain biker Bernard Kerr and actor Neo Yau were also among the top 10 finishers.
Verstappen’s fastest lap was 2:20.673, compared with Martens’ 2:23.327, making the F1 champion more than 2.6 seconds quicker.
Across the approximately 35-minute run, Red Bull calculated that Verstappen passed a rival roughly every 21 seconds on average.
Verstappen enjoyed return to karting
Verstappen admitted that the scale of the challenge initially looked daunting when he saw 100 karts lined up ahead of him on the grid.
However, after the opening chaos, he settled into a rhythm and began enjoying the process of working through the field one by one.
He also described the experience as a return to his karting roots, praising the Silverstone kart circuit and the opportunity to race in a more informal, mixed-ability environment compared to Formula 1.
How to watch Max vs 100
Red Bull’s Max vs 100 is available to replay globally on Disney+. In the US, ESPN Unlimited subscribers can watch it through the ESPN App, while Red Bull also lists an ESPN2 broadcast at 19:00 ET.
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