Max vs 100 lasts just 35 minutes: Verstappen beats everyone in 14 laps

Max vs 100, a dream start

From the start at the back of the grid, Max Verstappen left nothing to chance in his kart challenge at Silverstone against the 100 rivals selected by Red Bull: the Dutchman immediately played with his weight by moving it forward and giving pushes to get a better launch at the lights out.
And the first lap was insane, with Verstappen able to overtake something like 63 opponents and already be 37th in the early stages of the 30 laps scheduled.

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Rivals or pins?

Of course, it must be said that among the 100 contenders there were also Red Bull athletes from other disciplines, content creators, public figures, and simple enthusiasts, which somewhat downplays Max’s first lap and the overall scale of the challenge.
But nothing could stand against Verstappen’s class, neither the full course yellows at the start of the race, nor the ‘shortcuts’ allowed to his opponents to try to stay ahead of him: the Dutchman recovered 17 seconds comfortably overtaking everyone.

It took just 14 laps and barely 35 minutes to win the challenge on the track designed and built specifically for the occasion by race director and French driver David Terrien, 2.5 km long.
For Verstappen, there was also a cut through the corner in the hectic start phases and a slight excursion beyond a curb, which detached a piece – evidently irrelevant – of his kart.

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Max’s words

“Sometimes bouncing a bit out of a corner, especially at very low speeds, helps to accelerate a bit. Especially at the start, it makes a big difference. My first lap was, yes, really incredible. A lot was happening and indeed some cars got stuck, but I always managed to be on the other side, so I didn’t get stuck. And this, yes, allowed me to overtake about 60 drivers, I think, in the first lap. So that helps a lot, you know, to get to the front.

Did I think I wouldn’t win the challenge? No, but you have to expect that some people lose their braking point already on the first lap. So, actually, I usually braked a bit early for safety. And that works, because when others spin, at least you have some time to react. In short, there were many cars that started to slide. Yes, I had a few small incidents, but yes, it was quite impressive, because I expected much more. But I was lucky on the first lap to gain some positions, and yes, it was really fun.“

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