Red Bull Motorsports
Karting
Max Verstappen faced 100 go-kart drivers, then the race began
Max Verstappen started from the back of a 101-kart grid at Silverstone. What happened over the next 14 laps was something else.
Max Verstappen overtook all 100 of his challengers in Red Bull's Max vs 100, the largest go-kart race ever staged, completing the task on lap 14 of 30 at Silverstone on Wednesday, September 16.
Starting 101st on a grid built specifically for the event, the four-time Formula One world champion cleared the field in just 35 minutes, in front of a live global audience.
The scale of it was clear from the moment the grid formed up. Seen from above, 101 karts stretched back along the Silverstone asphalt in rows, with Verstappen in the very last one. Ahead of him were athletes, players, content creators, streamers, journalists and fans selected from around the world – most of them driving the track only for the second time after Tuesday's practice and a single qualifying lap earlier in the day.
01
How did the race pan out?
Max Verstappen started from P101
© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
The opening lap decided half the race. With 101 karts funneling into the first corners, Verstappen had passed more than 10 drivers before he even reached the start/finish line and at the hairpin the field folded in on itself, karts running into each other and facing the wrong way.
I have no idea what's going on – it's carnage
"I have no idea what's going on – it's carnage," he said over the radio. Two minutes in, he was 37th.
63 drivers had been eliminated without completing a lap – more than half the field – and when the number was relayed to him, the reply came back: "Not a bad first lap then!"
A race where every pass was final
Under the rules, a driver was out of the race the moment the rear of Verstappen's kart drew level with the front of theirs, so every pass was final and the onboard microphones caught the field coming to terms with that one by one. On Lap 7, motorsport YouTuber Paky TWC, running sixth at the time, could be heard asking Verstappen over the radio not to overtake him. He was passed shortly afterwards.
With 100 go-karts on the Silverstone track, things got somewhat chaotic
© Predrag Vuckovic / Red Bull Content Pool
By then the race had settled into a chase. Pole-sitter Jacky Martens, YouTuber Zac Alsop and Red Bull Ford Powertrains technician Lewis Osler had built a lead of around 12 seconds while the chaos unfolded behind them, and Verstappen was taking three seconds a lap out of it.
With 54 minutes still on the clock, the Race Director handed the leading group an extra fast lap. The three of them used their shortcuts together on Lap 12, then stopped fighting for the top sport and started driving defensively. It bought them a little time. On the next lap Verstappen arrived, cleared Alsop and Osler in one corner and then passed Martens to finish the job with 35 minutes still on the clock.
02
Who ended up on the podium?
Every one a winner: 100 drivers celebrate a brilliant experience
© Joerg Mitter / Red Bull Content Pool
Martens, a Dutch Formula One journalist, had led for most of the race. He and Osler joined Verstappen on the podium, the champion's own team technician standing one step below him. Very few people have ever stood on a podium alongside Max Verstappen and tonight two everyday racers joined that list. Behind Alsop in fourth, renowned off-road motorcyclist Pol Tarrés was fifth. Livestreamer RDJavi, photographer Larry Chen, mountain biker Bernard Kerr and actor Neo Yau completed the top 10.
Max vs 100 official podium:
- Max Verstappen
- Jacky Martens
- Lewis Osler
03
The winning lap times at Max vs 100
Verstappen's fastest lap of the race was 2m 20.673s, while the next best was Martens's 2m 23.327s, over 2.6s slower. Across the full 35 minutes, Verstappen passed a driver every 21 seconds on average.
04
Max Verstappen saw 100 karts ahead – then came the carnage
Max Verstappen was worried... for a moment
© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
When I saw where I had to start, with 100 karts in front of me, I was a little bit worried... it was good to come out with the win!
"When I went to the grid and I saw where I had to start, with 100 karts in front of me, I was a little bit worried," Verstappen said. "After my first lap, with all the carnage, I did think 'Okay, we have got this under control!' It started to become really fun and once I started getting into a rhythm, was able to overtake them one-by-one and saw the gap closing, that was really exciting."
Verstappen said he really enjoyed the whole experience. "It was great to just be back in a go-kart again and go back to basics. It reminded me of racing back in the day. It's a really beautiful track and well designed, and it was a nice touch to be able to get all the data fed through the radio too. I had a great day and it was good to come out with the win!"
05
How to watch the replay
Red Bull’s Max vs 100 is available to watch again on Disney+ globally and on the ESPN App for ESPN Unlimited subscribers in the US, with a broadcast on ESPN2 at 19.00 ET.
Watch highlights and best moments in this YouTube clip:
