Red Bull Motorsports
F1
Max Verstappen returned to his karting roots for Max vs 100
The four-time Formula One world champion went back to where it all began for a unique Silverstone karting challenge featuring 100 drivers from around the world.
Four-time Formula One World Champion Max Verstappen returned to his racing roots at Silverstone on September 16 for Max vs 100, a unique karting challenge that put him at the back of a 101-driver field.
The event brought together athletes, creators, streamers, personalities and fans from around the world, with Verstappen tasked with chasing down the entire field. He ultimately completed the challenge on Lap 14.
01
What was Max vs 100?
At one time or another, plenty of motorsport fans have probably asked themselves this question: could you beat a racing legend if the odds were stacked in your favour? That was the idea behind Max vs 100.
Max Verstappen’s karting roots helped shape his path to F1
© Marcel van Hoorn/Red Bull Content Pool
The concept put one of the world's best racing drivers in an unfamiliar position. Rather than fighting a handful of competitors at the front, Verstappen started behind 100 drivers with the challenge of working his way through the entire field.
02
Who took on Max in Max vs 100?
Notable names among the field who challenged Verstappen included Arda Saatçi, basketball shooting specialist Chris "Lethal Shooter" Matthews and freestyle mountain biker Matt Jones. Streamers TheGrefg, Caedrel and TheDonato also got behind the wheel, alongside content creators, personalities and fans from around the world.
Verstappen has spent the past decade battling some of the fastest drivers on the planet – more often than not coming out on top – but carving his way through a field this big presents an entirely different test.
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What was the Max vs 100 track like?
Silverstone might be synonymous with Formula One, but for Max vs 100 it was transformed for a very different kind of race. The circuit was created specifically for the event by Race Director and French racing driver David Terrien. “Creating a track for 101 drivers at the same time has never been done, never been seen,” said Terrien. “So it's very exciting.”
Two-time iRacing World Champion Sebastian Job tested the circuit out
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
He’s got his work cut out for him big time
With so many karts on track, outright pace was never going to be the only factor. Finding space, judging when to make a move and navigating traffic were all part of the challenge Verstappen faced from the back of the grid.
Ahead of race day, the layout was given a shakedown by Terrien and test driver Sebastian Job. “I think to overtake 100 cars is going to be extremely difficult,” said Job, two-time iRacing World Champion and Professional sim racer for Oracle Red Bull Racing. “We did it with 50, and even that was a challenge to do it in the allotted time. He’s got his work cut out for him big time.”
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Verstappen on returning to go-karting
For Verstappen, the event marked a return to his roots in the discipline where his racing career started – he first drove a go-kart at the age of four and by the age of seven he was already competing in championships. Quite simply, karting was the training ground where he developed the instincts and craft that shaped his career.
“In go-karts you learn all the basics: starts, defending, overtaking,” Verstappen said. “Of course, I spent a long period of my life go-karting, so it's always nice to return.”
Verstappen was reminded of his karting roots with his father, Jos
© Marcel van Hoorn/Red Bull Content Pool
I've done so many years in go-karting that you quite naturally get back into things
He expects the instincts to come back quickly. “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."
More than a decade after stepping up from karts to Formula One cars, Max vs 100 gave Verstappen the chance to return to the discipline where he learned the fundamentals of racing, this time in a format unlike anything he had faced before.
Asked what he was most looking forward to, Verstappen's answer was simple. “Just seeing the carnage unfold in front of me.”
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How to watch the Max vs 100 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. See here how Verstappen’s charge from P101 unfolded as he took on 100 amateur kart racers at Silverstone.
