Max Verstappen admitted that it will be quite embarrassing if he fails to win the kart challenge against 100 drivers he competes against this Wednesday (16) in Silverstone.
Read more F1: Rosberg warns Antonelli about pressure of title chase: «He is not Superman»
The four-time Formula 1 world champion is racing in the ‘Max vs 100’, where he will start from the last position and during 30 laps, his goal will be to overtake everyone on the track to reach first place. His opponents will be athletes, content creators, and celebrities, and as they are overtaken, they will be eliminated from the competition.
“A hundred is a lot of people, you know? But, from what they showed me about how they set up the track, I think it will be good. Still, it will definitely be a mess,” he told ESPN.
When asked about his approach to the race, Verstappen replied, “I think I first need to understand and see the level of the other drivers. I also don’t like to overthink the situation. I just need to let things flow and try to make the best out of it.”
“I hope that, with my experience, I am faster than most. I hope. I mean, it would be quite embarrassing if they were faster than me,” he continued.
Read more F1: Verstappen has a clear path to participate in the 24H of Nürburgring and Spa in 2027
The Red Bull F1 driver also revealed that the event will be the first time he drives a kart. “I don’t miss it. Also, in karting, since I raced from four to 15 years old, if I were to go back now, I would feel pain in my ribs. It’s quite different in that sense. You can suffer from arm stiffness and things like that in a gear-shift kart, and I feel I prefer being on a big track with a GT car.”
“I raced karts from four to fifteen years old, so this is a good opportunity to go back to basics and remember how I got into the sport. When we get to the track, the focus will be to learn the layout and adapt to the kart’s grip. I think I should naturally get back into the rhythm, but it’s good to know I have the help of data simulations we obtained in qualifying sessions,” he continued.
“I know some drivers will be very fast and I believe everyone will be quite competitive; it will be interesting, and chaotic, to see the mess happening in front of me. Trying to race against 100 people will be very difficult and will require patience to move up the pack as quickly as possible. I’m looking forward to it; it’s something that, of course, only Red Bull would do. I haven’t karted in a few years, so it will be fun to go back and see how I do, but there are a lot of people to overtake… we’ll see,” he concluded.
Read more F1: Vasseur says that 80% of the current work will carry over to 2027
