Max vs 100: What had Max Verstappen “a little bit worried” before beating 100 amateur karters

Four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen has admitted he was “a little bit worried” before the start of Red Bull’s Max vs 100 go-karting race at Silverstone. 

Verstappen needed just 14 laps and 35 minutes to overtake 100 amateur drivers made up of content creators, Red Bull athletes and fans in the event held at the home of the British Grand Prix on Wednesday evening. 

Verstappen made an incredible start to pass 64 karts and find himself up to 37th by the end of a chaotic first lap which saw many drivers crash out or spin, bringing out a full course yellow. 

The race was due to be run for either 30 laps or 75 minutes, but it took the 28-year-old Dutchman less than half of that time to go back-to-front and overtake his final rival, fellow countryman and F1 journalist Jacky Martens. 

Speaking after the exhibition race, Verstappen admitted he had doubts about whether he could pull off the win when he lined up on the grid. 

“When I went to the grid and I saw where I had to start, with 100 karts in front of me, I was a little bit worried,” the Red Bull driver conceded. 

“After my first lap with all the carnage, I did think, “Okay we have got this under control”! It started to become really fun and once I started getting into a rhythm and was able to overtake them one by one and saw the gap closing, that was really exciting. 

“It was great to just be in a go-kart again and go back to basics, it reminded me of racing back in the day. It's a really beautiful track and well designed and it was a nice touch to be able to get all the data fed through the radio too. 

“I had a great day and it was good to come out with the win!” 

Track designer and race director David Terrien said: “Going through the traffic of such a big field, no one has done it. There’s never been a karting race with so many karts.

“So even Max was questioning himself just before the start, how he could go through the traffic. When you look at the replay, he picked the right spots. Every time there was a gap, he went for it. He was on the right side of the track when there was a crash going on the other side. 

“We gave them more fast laps to allow them to compete and stay in the game longer. But he was just much faster. I think that’s what makes the difference with Max – his starts, and his reaction time. Even if it's a fun race, he showed his skills in all aspects. 

“I was talking to Max's race engineer and we were looking at the replay of the start. Max sees something we don't see. He sees a gap that's going to open and it's not open yet. 

“So I think that's a race vision, that's something he has that most of the drivers don't have.”