Verstappen versus 100 kart drivers is exactly the kind of chaos he signed up for
The plan is simple and slightly ridiculous. One Verstappen, 100 karts, one race, and he starts dead last.
Red Bull has confirmed that Max Verstappen will take on 100 other drivers in a single karting race at Silverstone on 16 September, in an event called Max vs 100. The rules are gloriously blunt: Verstappen lines up at the very back of a 100-kart grid and has to pass all of them before the race ends. It streams live on Disney+.
The format
This is a proper overtaking gauntlet, not a demo run. Verstappen starts last and has to carve his way through the entire field, on a bespoke karting circuit designed specifically for the event by former racing driver David Terrien. Terrien has described laying out a track for 100 karts at once as unprecedented, and Red Bull's own test driver Sebastian Job has already called passing 100 karts extremely difficult. That is rather the point.
Who are the 100
The grid is a deliberate mix rather than a field of ringers. The 100 drivers are drawn from across sport and culture, taking in Red Bull athletes, celebrities, content creators, public figures and ordinary fans invited from around the world. Some will be quick, many will not, and the variety is exactly what makes the challenge unpredictable, because a slow kart in the wrong place is every bit as much of an obstacle as a fast one.
Built for a screen
Make no mistake about what this is. Max vs 100 is a produced spectacle as much as a race, streaming live on Disney+ with game-inspired graphics, cinematic drone shots and live race-data overlays. Verstappen will even be able to talk to the other drivers during the race, which sounds like a recipe for mischief. Red Bull has always understood that its drivers are entertainers as well as athletes, and this leans all the way into that.
A lighter week, for once
The timing is almost a relief. This lands after a heavy stretch for Verstappen, one that took in a new contract keeping him at Red Bull until 2030 and a lap-one crash out of his home Dutch Grand Prix. A low-stakes karting free-for-all, where the only pressure is self-imposed and the whole thing is meant to be fun, is a very different kind of weekend. He said he is looking forward to watching the chaos unfold, which for once he gets to enjoy rather than manage.
AutoNext Take
There is something very right about Verstappen going back to karts. This is where he, and almost every top driver, actually learned to race, and a format built entirely around overtaking is the purest possible test of the skill that made his name. Strip away the Disney+ production and the drone shots and what is left is a fast driver being asked to pass 100 slower ones, which is close to the oldest challenge in motorsport.
It will also, almost certainly, be great fun to watch. Verstappen at his best is thrilling precisely because he attacks, and giving him 100 cars to attack is an inspired bit of showmanship from Red Bull. Whether he clears the whole field or gets stuck behind a wandering influencer with three laps to go, the entertainment is guaranteed. After the season he is having on track, a race he is actually supposed to enjoy feels well earned.
