Formula 1 four-time world champion Max Verstappen will take on 100 drivers in what is billed as the biggest go-kart race ever staged, with the event set for Sept. 16 on a purpose-built circuit at Silverstone and broadcast live on Disney+.
The format puts Verstappen at the back of a 101-driver field. He will then attempt to work his way through every challenger. The circuit at Silverstone, home of the British Grand Prix, was designed specifically to accommodate an unusually large field by former racing driver and karting world champion David Terrien.
He said the event appeals to him because go-karts are where everything started. He began competing at four, raced in championships from seven and made his F1 debut in 2015 after progressing through the junior ranks. He said returning feels natural after so many years of the discipline and that understanding the grip of the kart comes back quite naturally.
Asked what he is most looking forward to, Verstappen said he wants to see the carnage unfold in front of him.
The field and the broadcast
The 100 drivers Verstappen will face include athletes from other sports and online creators. Among those confirmed are ultrarunner Arda Saatci, basketball shooting specialist Chris Matthews, freestyle mountain biker Matt Jones and streamers including TheGrefg, Caedrel and TheDonato. The full list will be announced before the event.
The Disney+ broadcast will include live race data, game-style graphics and drone footage. He will also be able to communicate directly with other drivers during the race, adding an interactive dimension to an unconventional competition format.
Verstappen and karting
His background in this discipline is foundational to understanding how he races at the F1 level. Drivers develop spatial awareness, racecraft and mechanical sensitivity in karting, and Verstappen spent more time there than most who reached F1. His ability to overtake and defend in tight spaces was built in that discipline.
He became F1’s youngest race winner at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix and won four consecutive championships from 2021 through 2024. He recently signed a new Red Bull contract through 2030.
The go-kart challenge
The mass-start nature of karting with 101 drivers on a purpose-built circuit creates conditions very different from F1, where Verstappen operates with enormous technological support, tire strategy and sophisticated telemetry. The smaller vehicles strip all of that away. What remains is reflexes, racecraft and the ability to find gaps in traffic under pressure.
Starting last and working through 100 drivers means Verstappen will face the challenge that most front-runners never encounter, which is that traffic does not clear in front of you. Full traffic for the entire event requires different judgment calls than leading from the front.
The event is designed as entertainment first. The game-style graphics, drone footage and live driver-to-driver communication push it closer to a live sports spectacle than a conventional motorsport broadcast. The format of a single superstar trying to beat 100 opponents has obvious narrative clarity for viewers who may not follow F1 regularly.
Max vs 100
The event airs live on Disney+ on Sept. 16.
