Verstappen swaps his Red Bull cockpit for a kart to take on 100 rivals at Silverstone – Max Verstappen is swapping his Formula 1 Red Bull cockpit for a go-kart in an extraordinary new challenge at Silverstone. The four-time world champion will start from the back of a 101-kart field on September 16 and attempt to overtake all 100 competitors in Red Bull’s “Max vs 100” event. The race will be broadcast live on Disney+ and the ESPN App.
The unusual event was created by Red Bull and will take place on a specially designed karting circuit at the British Grand Prix venue. Verstappen will face a mixture of athletes, celebrities, content creators, streamers and fans rather than fellow Formula 1 drivers.
Verstappen returns to his racing roots
The challenge represents a return to the discipline where Verstappen developed many of the skills that eventually took him to Formula 1.
The Dutchman began karting at just four years old and was competing in championships from the age of seven. His junior career included multiple European and world titles before he moved into car racing and eventually made his Formula 1 debut with Toro Rosso in 2015.
“In go-karts you learn all the basics: starts, defending, overtaking. Of course, I spent a long period of my life go-karting, so it’s always nice to return,” Verstappen said.
The Red Bull driver added that he was particularly interested in seeing how the race would unfold, saying: “I will be looking forward to just seeing the carnage unfold in front of me.”
100 rivals stand between Verstappen and victory
The format will put Verstappen in an unusual position. Rather than starting at the front as he normally does in Formula 1, he will begin at the very back of the field with 100 karts ahead of him.
The purpose-built circuit has been designed by former racing driver and karting champion David Terrien specifically to accommodate the huge field.
Terrien said creating a circuit capable of hosting so many competitors simultaneously had never been done before. The objective is to give Verstappen a genuine traffic-management challenge, requiring him to identify overtaking opportunities while preventing the leaders from escaping.
A test involving 50 karts has already taken place, with two-time iRacing World Champion Sebastian Job warning that overtaking the full field will be extremely difficult.
Red Bull turns Verstappen’s karting past into entertainment
“Max vs 100” is designed to combine competitive racing with entertainment. Verstappen will be able to communicate directly with competitors during the event, while live race data, graphics and aerial footage will give viewers a closer look at the action.
The event is being promoted as one of the biggest kart races ever staged, with all 101 karts sharing the grid at Silverstone.
For Verstappen, however, the challenge also provides an opportunity to return to the environment where his racing career began.
“I’ve done so many years in go-karting that you quite naturally get back into things,” Verstappen said.
Verstappen’s Red Bull future still includes an exit clause
The karting event comes shortly after Verstappen committed his Formula 1 future to Red Bull with a contract extension running through the end of 2030.
However, his father Jos Verstappen confirmed around the Dutch Grand Prix that the new agreement contains an exit clause. He declined to reveal the precise conditions of the provision when speaking to Dutch outlet Formule1.nl.
“We know about these agreements and Red Bull knows about them, but we won’t publish them,” Jos Verstappen said, according to Formule1.nl.
That clause leaves some contractual details surrounding Verstappen’s long-term Red Bull future private, despite the headline commitment through 2030.
For now, though, Verstappen remains firmly tied to Red Bull — and his next unusual racing assignment will see him return to where his journey began, with 100 karts standing between him and the chequered flag.
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