Four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen is set to return to his racing roots in a unique event called 'Max vs 100' on September 16. In this one-off kart race, he will start from the back of a 101-kart field with the challenge of overtaking every competitor ahead of him.
Rather than a conventional grid of professional racers, Verstappen's opposition will come from across sport, entertainment, and online content, alongside fans invited from around the world. Red Bull athletes, celebrities, personalities, and creators will form part of the field, with names such as ultrarunner Arda Saatci, basketball coach Chris Matthews, freestyle mountain biker Matt Jones, and streamers TheGrefg, Caedrel, and TheDonato already announced.
The event takes Verstappen back to the discipline where his career began, having first driven karts at four years old before competing in championships from the age of seven. He went on to collect a string of major European and world karting titles, with his successful 2013 campaign preceding his move into cars the following year and eventual Formula 1 debut in 2015.
Despite more than a decade away from full-time kart competition, Verstappen expects those early skills to return quickly. "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," he said. "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." He added, "I will be looking forward to just seeing the carnage unfold in front of me."
A bespoke circuit is being constructed at Silverstone specifically to accommodate the enormous field, with French racing driver and kart designer David Terrien responsible for the layout. Terrien, who will serve as race director, said creating a track for 100 drivers at the same time is an unprecedented challenge. "Creating a track for 100 drivers at the same time has never been done, never been seen. So it's very exciting," he said. "When you have Max Verstappen chasing everyone, I think that's going to be the experience of a lifetime for all the drivers."
The format is designed to place Verstappen in a position far removed from what he normally encounters in F1, forcing him to negotiate a heavily congested field while attempting to prevent the leading karts from escaping. The concept has already undergone testing at Silverstone with 50 karts, joined by Red Bull sim racer and two-time iRacing world champion Sebastian Job. In that trial, Job admitted being impressed by Verstappen's speed in reading traffic and finding overtaking opportunities.
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