Max Verstappen against 100 drivers: understand the strangest race of the four-time F1 champion’s career

Max Verstappen will start last. In front of him, 100 karts. The mission is to overtake them all. On September 16, the four-time Formula 1 world champion swaps the Red Bull single-seater for a kart at Silverstone, England, to compete in what organizers call the biggest kart race in history — 101 karts on the track at the same time.

The race, called “Max vs 100”, does not bring together professional drivers. The grid mixes athletes from other sports, celebrities, content creators, streamers and ordinary fans invited from various parts of the world. Among those confirmed are ultramarathoner Arda Saatçi, basketball shooting specialist Chris “Lethal Shooter” Matthews and freestyle cyclist Matt Jones, as well as streamers TheGrefg, Caedrel and TheDonato. Everyone’s goal is the same: to close the spaces and prevent the Dutchman’s progression.

Verstappen shows no concern. Asked what he expects most from the event, he replied that he wants to see chaos unfold in front of him. About the chance of winning, he was less categorical: he said he would like to believe so, but that it depends on many factors. And he added, laughing, that it depends on how bad the opponents will be.

A track designed for 100 karts at the same time

The track was built especially within the Silverstone complex by David Terrien, French karting world champion in the Formula A category in 1993 and today one of the main designers of tracks in the sport. According to him, a circuit has never been designed to receive 100 drivers simultaneously.

Sebastian Job, Red Bull’s test driver, has already ridden on the track and classified the task of overtaking 100 karts as extremely difficult. Verstappen has a repertoire to try: he started karting at the age of four, competed for championships at seven and was world champion in the KZ category in 2013, two years before debuting in Formula 1. Still, pure speed solves little on a crowded track. Finding the gap and choosing the instant of attack will be worth as much as tenths per lap.

The broadcast will have live data, video game-inspired graphics and drone images, produced by Whisper and presented by British comedian Mo Gilligan. Verstappen will also be able to talk by radio with opponents during the race.

What ESPN gains from the joke

The event is not just entertainment. ESPN lost the rights to broadcast Formula 1 in the United States to Apple TV from 2026, and this is the first chance for the broadcaster to air the biggest star in the category since then. The race will go live on Disney+ and, in the American market, on the ESPN app, with later airing on ESPN2. There will be no audience on the circuit.

The date is not accidental either. It’s a Wednesday, the week after Formula 1’s first visit to the new Madring circuit in Spain. Verstappen arrives in karting after renewing with Red Bull until 2030 and retiring on the first lap of the Dutch Grand Prix, at home.