Max Verstappen Unprepared for Silverstone Gauntlet Against 100 Go-Kart Drivers

Four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen has confirmed he has made no preparations for next week’s 30-lap showdown against 100 go-kart racers at Silverstone.

The Dutch driver will start from the back of the grid and attempt to lap past all 100 competitors — a group that includes athletes, streamers, content creators, personalities, and fans — within just 30 laps of the Silverstone circuit.

Speaking to the media ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, Verstappen revealed a relaxed attitude toward the unconventional event.

“No, I didn’t do anything,” he explained when asked whether he has looked into who his competitors will be. “I’ll just rock up and have a good time, to be honest. Let’s see how it goes. But yeah, it’s a lot of people.”

“Starting from the back, it’s going to be challenging, but I hope I can catch them all. But we don’t know yet. I don’t even know the format at the moment. So I will just rock up and do my thing.”

The challenge has drawn attention from several of Verstappen’s F1 rivals. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc offered a word of caution ahead of the event.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Mark Thompson / Getty Images

“I mean, 100 is a lot,” the Monegasque driver explained in Italy. “Honestly, the only advice I’ll give is maybe not to crash into Max, because he’s got a season to finish, and for Max to be careful, because I don’t know how professional those drivers are.”

“But 100 drivers is quite a lot on a track, so I think it will be fun. But obviously, when you’re racing against one of the best drivers in the world, they’ll probably have a tough time.”

Williams’ Carlos Sainz also weighed in during the Madrid press conference, adding: “I did a karting race yesterday with my team. Started 20th because we did reverse grid and I was P1 in five laps. So by my calculations, if there are another 20 times five, in 20 laps Max will be P1 for sure. 15-20 laps, or who knows, depends how much overtaking there is. But he will win it easy.”

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