Verstappen starts last against 100 rivals in Red Bull's 'Max vs 100' kart challenge at Silverstone

Max Verstappen took on one of his more unusual competitive challenges on Wednesday 16 September, starting last in a 101-kart race at Silverstone and attempting to work his way through the entire field in a Red Bull-organised event called ‘Max vs 100’.

The four-time Formula 1 world champion had 30 laps — or a maximum of 55 to 75 minutes — to overtake every one of his 100 rivals on a purpose-built kart layout at the Northamptonshire circuit. The twist: each time Verstappen passes a driver, that competitor is eliminated, meaning the race could end well before the lap limit is reached.

The amateur field was drawn from a wide range of backgrounds, including British content creators Zac Alsop and Jack McDermott (known online as Pieface), 2019 Love Island winner Amber Gill, and ultramarathon runner Arda Saatci. Grid positions for the 100 were decided by a qualifying session — five segments of 20 drivers, each given a single flying lap.

All karts were identical, weighing 85kg inclusive, to remove any equipment advantage. The amateurs were given one tactical tool: a ‘fast lap’ shortcut available at any point during the first half of the contest to create distance from Verstappen. For the final 15 laps, only Verstappen could use the shortcut. He was also permitted to communicate directly with rivals over the radio throughout.

Verstappen, who spent years competing in karting before his F1 career, said the format felt natural to him. “In go-karts you learn all the basics: starts, defending, overtaking,” he said. “Of course, I spent a long period of my life go-karting, so it’s always nice to return. It’s about understanding the grip of the go-kart. I’ve done so many years in go-karting that you quite naturally get back into things.”

Comedian Mo Gilligan presented the coverage, which featured game-inspired graphics and cinematic drone footage designed to give the broadcast a Mario Kart aesthetic.