Max Verstappen vs 100: Silverstone karting challenge live

Max Verstappen faces arguably his most unusual challenge yet this evening as he lines up last on a 101-kart grid at Silverstone. The Red Bull star is tasked with overtaking all 100 drivers ahead of him within 30 laps on a purpose-built kart circuit, with every competitor given identical machinery.

Why it matters:

This is a one-off exhibition event, but it puts Verstappen's racecraft under a different kind of spotlight. It also reflects F1's growing appetite for crossover entertainment, bringing the sport to new audiences beyond traditional race weekends. For Verstappen, it's a low-stakes but high-pressure test of his ability to work through traffic in unfamiliar machinery.

The details:

• Verstappen starts from P101, with the 100 challengers made up of athletes, content creators and fans.
• All karts are identical, so raw driver skill is the only differentiator.
• Each driver Verstappen passes is eliminated from the challenge immediately.
• There's a twist: every challenger can use a track shortcut once during the first 15 laps, while Verstappen can only deploy his after half distance.
• The win condition is simple but brutal: pass all 100 or fail. The race gets underway at 6pm.

What's next:

The event will be followed via live blog, with updates as Verstappen carves through the field. The key question is whether his F1 expertise can overcome the numbers and the shortcut rule, or whether the 100 challengers manage to hold him off. Expect drama either way.