Max vs 100: Max Verstappen will be 'embarrassed’ if he fails to beat amateur go-karters

Max Verstappen has admitted it will be “quite embarrassing” if he fails to beat 100 amateur go-karters during a race at Silverstone today. 

Four-time world champion Verstappen will go head-to-head with 100 rivals made up of content creators, Red Bull athletes, fans and journalists in an event on Wednesday that is being billed as the world’s biggest go-kart race. 

‘Max vs 100’ takes place on Wednesday evening at Silverstone and will be streamed on Disney+ in the UK. The pre-show broadcast begins at 5pm BST, with the race starting at 6pm BST. 

Verstappen, who will start from the very back of the field, will have just 30 laps to overtake his competitors, who have limited go-karting experience. 

"A hundred is a lot, you know, but I think how they've set up the track from what they've shown me, I think it will be good. But it's still going to be hectic, for sure,” the 28-year-old Dutchman told ESPN. 

Asked about how he will approach the race, Verstappen replied: "I think I first need to understand and see the level between drivers. 

“I also don't like to overthink the situation. I just need to go with the flow and try to make the best of it.

"I'm hoping that with my background, I should be faster than most. I hope! I mean, it would be quite embarrassing if they're faster than me!”

Verstappen said the event will mark the first time since 2016 that he has driven a “proper go-kart”. 

"I don't miss it," he said of karting. "Also with go-karting, because I've done it from when I was four years old until like 15, to go back now, your ribs are hurting.

"It's very different in that sense. You can get arm pump and stuff in a shifter [kart], and I just feel like I enjoy more just being on a big track with a GT car.”

In Red Bull’s preview for the event, Verstappen said: "I have driven in karts from the ages of four to fifteen years old, so this is a nice opportunity to go back to basics and revisit how I got into the sport in the first place. 

“When we get to the track, it will be about learning the circuit itself and getting comfortable with the grip of the kart. I think I should quite naturally get back into things but it is good to know I have help from the data simulations that we managed to get from the Qualifying sessions. 

"I know some of them will be very fast and I think everyone there will be quite competitive, so it is going to be quite interesting and very hectic to see the carnage unfold in front of me. Trying to race 100 people will be very tough and will require patience to get through the field as quickly as possible. 

“I’m looking forward to it and this is, of course, something only Red Bull would do. I haven’t driven in go karting in quite a few years so it will be fun to go back and see how I go, but there are a lot of people to overtake so let’s see!"