What a show at Silverstone
Max Verstappen won the biggest go-kart race ever organized after starting from 101st position on the grid, overtaking all the drivers ahead of him in just 35 minutes.
Max Verstappen overtook all his 100 opponents in the ‘Max vs 100’ race organized by Red Bull, the biggest kart race ever held, completing the challenge on the 14th lap out of 30 at Silverstone. Starting 101st on a starting grid set up specifically for the event, the four-time Formula 1 world champion overtook all opponents in just 35 minutes.
The scale of the event was evident from the moment the starting grid formed. Viewed from above, 101 karts stretched out in rows along the Silverstone asphalt, with Max right at the back. Ahead of him were 100 Red Bull athletes, Red Bull players, content creators, streamers, journalists, and fans from 40 different countries around the world. After a day of free practice on Tuesday, they went out on track on Wednesday to compete in a single qualifying session ahead of the race.
The race was a real thriller, with the first lap deciding half the outcome of the race. With 101 karts pouring into the first corners, Max had already overtaken more than ten drivers before even reaching the starting line, and at the hairpin the group folded in on itself, with karts colliding and ending up in the opposite direction.
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According to the rules, a driver was eliminated the moment the rear of Max’s kart aligned with the front of theirs, so every overtake was final. After two minutes, he was 37th and sixty-three drivers had been eliminated without completing a lap. The race soon stabilized and the chase began. Leading were poleman Jacky Martens, YouTuber Zac Alsop, and Red Bull Ford Powertrains technician Lewis Osler, and with 54 minutes still on the clock, the race director granted the leading group one more fast lap. On the next lap, Max finished the race 35 minutes before the end. Behind Zac, fourth, was fifth-placed Pol Tarres, a Red Bull motocross rider. Italian content creator Paky TWC, streamer RDJavi, photographer Larry Chen, mountain biker Bernard Kerr, and actor Neo Yau completed the top ten.
Max Verstappen said: “When I arrived on the starting grid and saw where I had to start, with 100 karts in front of me, I was a bit worried. After my first lap, with all that chaos, I thought: ‘Ok, we have the situation under control.’ It started to get really fun and, once I found the right rhythm and managed to overtake them one by one, seeing the gap close, it was really exciting. It was great to be back on a go-kart and return to the roots; it reminded me of the races of the past. It’s a really beautiful and well-designed circuit, and it was a nice touch to be able to receive all the data also via radio. I had a fantastic day and it was nice to take home the victory.”
