Max Verstappen will race 100 drivers simultaneously at Silverstone on Sept. 16, starting from the back of the grid in a go-kart challenge and attempting to overtake as many competitors as possible, with the event airing live on Disney+.
The four-time Formula 1 world champion will be returning to the karting roots that defined his path to the top, taking on a field of content creators and athletes rather than professional racing drivers. Verstappen said when asked what he is most looking forward to that he just wants to see the carnage unfold in front of him.
His rivals offered their takes on how the event will go.
What Leclerc said
Charles Leclerc, who battled Verstappen in karts as a junior driver and knows his style as well as any active F1 competitor, warned the 100 drivers that racing against one of the best of his generation would be tough. He said 100 drivers is a lot.
He offered two pieces of advice. First, not to crash into the Red Bull driver, because he has nine more rounds of the F1 season to complete and an injury would be a problem. Second, for Verstappen to be careful himself, because he said he does not know how professional those drivers are, and 100 on a track at once is quite a lot. He said it would be fun, but racing against one of the best drivers in the world will probably give the field a tough time.
What Russell said
George Russell offered tactical advice, suggesting that the competitors might need to coordinate to have any chance of keeping the champion behind them. He suggested that if drivers go four abreast around the whole track it might be difficult to find a way through, and that a couple of drivers working as a team to block could be more effective than individual defense.
Russell then found out the field would be made up of content creators and athletes rather than professional drivers. His assessment changed. He said Max should probably manage the task comfortably. Russell added that he had done a similar team race with 160 of his own team members the previous week and had some top drivers in that field, which gave him a reference point.
The event
The race takes place at a custom-built track at Silverstone on Sept. 16, just days after the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid. The event represents a departure from the format of professional karting events and is designed as a spectacle rather than a competition among equals.
Verstappen’s background in the sport is foundational to his driving style. He began racing karts as a child under the guidance of his father Jos Verstappen, a former F1 driver, and was racing senior categories by the time he was a young teenager. Leclerc shared a portion of that karting era and the two have competed against each other at various levels for most of their racing lives.
