Formula 1 star Max Verstappen beat 100 go-karters in the world’s biggest race of its kind at Silverstone.
The amateur drivers had their hopes of winning over the F1 champion quickly dashed during the Red Bull Max vs 100 race yesterday.
For the Dutch-Belgian racer, the challenge was a walk in the park from the outset.
The 28-year-old, who drives under Red Bull Racing, has won four F1 championship titles, all taken back-to-back between 2021 and 2024.
The son of a Belgian former kart racer, Sophie Kumpen, motorsport is in his blood, and young Verstappen first started racing in karts at the age of four.
Despite these accolades, the 100 drivers wanted to see if they could be the first to reach the iconic chequered flag.
Verstappen started from the unenviable 101st position on the purpose-built grid behind the other racers, a mix of handpicked Red Bull athletes, content creators and fans.
Most of them had tested the track at least once during practice.
The racers had 30 laps or 75 minutes to cross the finish line first.
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After the drivers took off, the race quickly turned into organised chaos, or ‘carnage’ as Verstappen described it.
He told the team over the radio: ‘I have no idea what’s going on – it’s carnage.’
But the F1 champion appeared entertained, laughing into the radio after he took over competitors after 14 laps.
He cleared several bottlenecks with ease, and took out a whopping 63 drivers before they had completed a single lap.
Under the rules, racers were out when Verstappen’s kart was level with their front.
On average, Verstappen passed a competitor’s car every 21 seconds.
Eventually, just three others were ahead of Verstappen: journalist Jacky Martens, YouTuber Zac Alsop and racing technician Lewis Osler.
And by lap 14, the job was done as the F1 superstar whizzed past them.
He said after the event: ‘I grew up racing a lot in karts, then because of your Formula career you don’t really get a lot of time racing them anymore, so it’s always nice to go back and have a go at it.
‘I got three or four laps on the track, and that was basically my practice. Before that, it’s always very hard to know what to expect, so it’s also better then not to overthink the situation, and just feel it once you sit in the kart. But I think the most that I’ve been on a track with is like 40 karts, maybe, so a hundred is a lot!’
Red Bull’s Max vs 100 is available to watch on demand on Disney+
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Max Verstappen races 100 go-karters from last place – and wins
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