– After his kart challenge “Max vs. 100,” Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen can imagine repeating this special kart race – but then with even more participants. “Maybe 200,” said Verstappen. “At Red Bull, they always come up with some crazy, fun ideas. That suits me.”
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The first edition of the kart challenge was spectacularly won by Verstappen in the week after the Spanish Grand Prix: after 37 minutes, he had overtaken all 100 opponents.
“It mainly depended on the first two laps. If I get through the first two laps well, I thought: ‘What could it be? 15 or 20 laps?’ But the first lap went a bit better than expected. That obviously helps a lot.”
How Max Verstappen experienced the first lap
How good was the first lap really? Thanks to his quick reaction, Verstappen overtook more than ten competitors right at the start. By the end of the first lap, he had passed 64 opponents.
“You just act instinctively – no matter what happens,” explained Verstappen. “When the lights go out, you just look for where gaps open up. At the same time, you have to trust the people around you not to do anything crazy. But to be honest: they didn’t do that either.”
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That’s why the spree was over after only 14 laps: Verstappen had overtaken the entire field.
Not the first motorsport stunt – and probably not the last!
However, it was not the first curious motorsport challenge for the four-time Formula 1 world champion. In the past, for example, he raced a caravan race with his former Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo. According to his own statement, such events give him “incredible fun.” (Photo series: The caravan race with Verstappen and Ricciardo)
Verstappen continued: “Sometimes I am reminded of everything I have done in the past, and then I think: ‘Oh my God, did I really do that?’ But this definitely belongs to the best things we have done. How often do you get the chance to put something like this together? Racing against 100 other people. I think that’s very cool.”
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