Max Verstappen to race 100 drivers in huge Silverstone kart race

Max Verstappen will start last on a 101-kart grid at Silverstone next month, attempting to overtake every driver in a purpose-built race billed as a first of its kind. The four-time F1 champion headlines 'Max vs 100', streamed live on Disney+ on September 16.

Why it matters:

Verstappen's return to karting offers a rare look at F1's most dominant driver in a completely different setting. It also shows how the sport's biggest star is embracing entertainment, blending racing, content creation and fan participation in a way the F1 calendar rarely does.

The details:

• Verstappen starts from the back of a 101-kart grid on a circuit designed by David Terrien, a well-known kart track designer. A 50-kart shakedown has already tested the layout, and those involved say the task is far from simple.
• The field includes ultrarunner Arda Saatçi, basketball coach Chris 'Lethal Shooter' Matthews and freestyle mountain biker Matt Jones, plus content creators, streamers and fans from around the world.
• Red Bull simracing driver Sebastian Job, who took part in the 50-kart trial, warned: "I think to overtake 100 cars is going to be extremely difficult. We did it with 50, and even that was a challenge to do it in the allotted time. He's got his work cut out for him big time."
• Verstappen, who recently signed an extended Red Bull contract, is confident but cautious. "I would like to believe so," he said, "but it really depends on a lot of different things. It just depends on how bad they are."
• The Dutchman won world and European karting titles before moving to Formula 3 in 2014, then completed just one season in car racing before becoming F1's youngest-ever driver with Toro Rosso in 2015.
• "In go-karts you learn all the basics: starts, defending, overtaking," Verstappen said. "I've done so many years in go-karting that you quite naturally get back into things."

What's next:

'Max vs 100' airs live on Disney+ on Wednesday, September 16, the week after F1's first visit to the all-new Madring circuit for the Spanish Grand Prix. Verstappen says he is looking forward to "seeing the carnage unfold in front of me" — and with 100 karts ahead, there should be plenty of it.