Max Verstappen needed just 14 laps and around 35 minutes to complete Red Bull’s extraordinary Max vs 100 karting challenge at Silverstone, passing every one of the 100 drivers who started ahead of him. The four-time Formula 1 world champion made spectacular progress immediately, with 63 rivals eliminated during the opening lap alone.
Starting 101st and last, Max Verstappen was already up to 37th in the chaotic early stages of a challenge originally scheduled to run for 30 laps. Full-course yellow periods and the special shortcuts available to his opponents were not enough to stop him as he rapidly erased the gap to the front.
Max Verstappen makes extraordinary start to Max vs 100
From the moment he lined up at the very back of the huge grid, Max Verstappen tried everything to gain an advantage within the rules. Before the start, the Dutchman shifted his body weight forwards and used a bouncing technique to help the kart accelerate more effectively when the lights went out.
The impact was immediate. The opening lap descended into chaos, but Verstappen managed to negotiate the traffic while others became caught in incidents around him. By the early stages he had risen to 37th, with 63 competitors already eliminated without completing the first lap.
The scale of that opening charge immediately changed the complexion of the challenge. What had been designed as an enormous 30-lap pursuit suddenly looked far more manageable for one of Formula 1’s most accomplished overtakers.
Mixed field could not stop Verstappen’s progress
The level of experience across the 100 challengers varied considerably. The field included Red Bull athletes from other disciplines, content creators, public figures and ordinary enthusiasts, meaning not every participant could realistically be considered a specialist kart racer.
That context inevitably puts Verstappen’s dramatic first-lap progress into perspective, but the scale of the task remained unusual. He still had to negotiate an extremely crowded circuit while avoiding incidents and maintaining enough pace to close the leaders.
Neither the early full-course yellows nor the special shortcuts available to the other drivers were enough to prevent him from reaching the front. Verstappen recovered a gap of approximately 17 seconds before comfortably completing the final overtakes.
Verstappen completes 30-lap challenge after only 14 laps
In the end, Verstappen needed only 14 laps and around 35 minutes to pass all 100 rivals on the specially constructed 2.5-kilometre Silverstone layout.
The circuit was designed specifically for the event by French former racing driver and karting circuit designer David Terrien. It combined the karting facilities at Silverstone with additional sections created for a grid large enough to accommodate 101 karts at the same time.
Verstappen’s progress was not completely trouble-free. During the frantic start he cut a corner, while on another occasion he ran slightly beyond a kerb and knocked a piece from his kart. Neither incident ultimately affected his ability to complete the challenge.
Max Verstappen explains his unusual start technique
Afterwards, Verstappen explained why moving his body inside the kart had helped him make such a strong start.
“Sometimes bouncing a little on corner exit, especially at very low speeds, helps you accelerate a little. At the start in particular, it makes a big difference.”
“My first lap was, yes, really incredible. There was so much happening and some karts actually got stuck, but I always managed to be on the other side, so I didn’t get stuck. And that, yes, allowed me to pass around 60 drivers, I think, on the first lap. So that helps massively, you know, in getting towards the front.”
Verstappen never doubted he could win Max vs 100
Asked whether there had been a moment when he thought he might fail to complete the challenge, Verstappen said his biggest concern was surviving the unpredictability of such a large field rather than his own pace.
“Did I think I might not win the challenge? No, but you have to take into account that some people will miss their braking point already on the first lap. So actually, I usually braked a little earlier to be safe.”
“And then that works, because when the others spin, at least you have a little bit of time to react. There were so many karts that started sliding around.”
“Yes, I had a few small incidents, but it was pretty impressive because I expected a lot more. I was lucky on the first lap to gain a few positions and, yes, it was really fun.”
For Verstappen, the event ultimately became a rapid return to his karting roots rather than the prolonged pursuit originally envisaged. A challenge designed to give him 30 laps to clear an unprecedented field was effectively settled before the halfway point, with all 100 rivals passed in only 35 minutes.
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