Verstappen passes 100 drivers in 14 laps to win Silverstone kart challenge

Max Verstappen passed 100 amateur drivers in just 14 laps to win his 'Max vs 100' go-kart challenge at Silverstone.

The Red Bull Formula 1 driver completed all 100 overtakes in 35 minutes on 16 September, on an adapted track at the Silverstone grand prix circuit in Northamptonshire. He had been allowed up to 35 laps and 75 minutes, so he finished with 21 laps and 40 minutes to spare BBC Sport.

The format was brutal and simple. Verstappen started at the very back of the field, in 101st and last place. Each driver he passed had to pull in and retire straight away.

He wasted no time. Verstappen climbed to 37th place by the end of the first lap. The race was then briefly suspended after crashes and spins in the pack.

The restart changed nothing. Verstappen told the other drivers over team radio that "it's not a charity event". He was up to 10th place by the start of lap six and fourth by lap 10.

The opposition was willing but inexperienced. The 100 challengers were TV, sport and social media personalities, with no professional racing drivers among them. All they had to do was stay ahead for as long as they could, while Verstappen picked them off one by one.

Only three lasted into the endgame. Dutch F1 journalist Jacky Martens, Red Bull engine builder Lewis Osler and YouTuber Zac Alsop survived longest after the rest had been caught and retired. To give them a fighting chance, organisers granted the final three an extra 'fast lap' that allowed them to cut a corner.

Martens had started the day quickest after taking pole position, first place on the starting grid, in qualifying. He also proved hardest to catch and was the last driver Verstappen passed to complete the set.

Verstappen is a four-time Formula 1 world champion, having won four consecutive titles between 2021 and 2024 with Red Bull. He began his own racing career as a junior in karting, the small, low, open-wheel machines where many F1 drivers learn racecraft and overtaking.

The event was billed as Max vs 100 and was shown live worldwide on Disney+ ESPN. Before the start Verstappen said he was looking forward to the chaos unfolding in front of him.

For fans, this means a rare chance to see the gap up close. One world champion. One hundred willing rivals. Fourteen laps to settle it.