Just In: Max vs 100′: Start time and how to watch live as Verstappen takes on epic Silverstone…Read more

Just In: Max vs 100′: Start time and how to watch live as Verstappen takes on epic Silverstone challenge

Max Verstappen is preparing for one of the most unusual challenges of his racing career as the four-time Formula 1 world champion returns to his karting roots for the extraordinary ‘Max vs 100’ event at Silverstone.

The Red Bull driver will take on 100 opponents in a one-off karting showdown on Wednesday, September 16, with the unusual format designed to test his overtaking ability, racecraft and composure in traffic. Rather than starting at the front and defending his position, Verstappen will begin at the very back of a 101-kart grid and attempt to fight his way through the entire field.

The challenge has been created by Red Bull and will take place on a purpose-built karting circuit at Silverstone. All 101 competitors will race identical karts, while ballast will be added where necessary to ensure drivers meet the required minimum weight.

The format makes Verstappen’s task particularly intriguing. He will have only 30 laps to overtake his 100 rivals, with every driver he passes eliminated from the contest. The 100 challengers include athletes, streamers, content creators, personalities and fans from different backgrounds.

There is also an additional twist designed to give Verstappen’s opponents a fighting chance. During the first half of the race, each challenger will have access to a permitted shortcut, while Verstappen has his own shortcut but cannot use it until after the first 15 laps. That means the Dutchman will have to find another way through the traffic during the early stages.

The starting order will be decided by a qualifying lap, but Verstappen will start at the back regardless. That is central to the concept of the event: rather than measuring his ability to produce a fast lap against a conventional field, the challenge is about whether he can repeatedly find opportunities to overtake.

That could prove more difficult than simply being the fastest driver.

Former Red Bull Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has highlighted the difference between having superior pace and successfully overtaking 100 competitors. Traffic, defensive driving, the limited number of laps and the various advantages available to the other drivers could all influence the outcome.

Verstappen himself has acknowledged that the event will be hectic. The Dutchman has spent much of his recent career in Formula 1 and GT racing rather than regularly competing in karts, but he remains familiar with the fundamentals of karting from the earliest stages of his career.

Karting was a major part of Verstappen’s development as a driver. He has previously explained that karting teaches fundamental skills such as starts, defending and overtaking, making the Silverstone event a return to the discipline that helped shape his racing career.

The event will also offer viewers an unusual perspective on Verstappen’s driving. The competitors will be mic’d up, allowing fans to hear conversations and reactions during the race. Verstappen will also be able to communicate directly with other drivers while the action unfolds.

The broadcast has been designed as more than a conventional racing stream. Game-inspired graphics, live data and aerial footage will be used to follow the enormous field, while comedian Mo Gilligan leads the presentation team alongside race analysis and commentary.

What time does Max vs 100 start?

The live coverage begins at 5pm UK time on Wednesday, September 16, while the actual race is scheduled to start at 6pm UK time. For viewers in Nigeria, that means the coverage begins at 5pm Nigerian time, with the race itself scheduled for 6pm.

How can fans watch Max vs 100?

The event is being streamed live globally on Disney+, with ESPN on Disney+ carrying the event in the relevant markets. In the United States, the ESPN App is also available to ESPN Unlimited subscribers. Availability can vary by territory.

The spectacle comes at an interesting point in Verstappen’s career. The Dutchman has already established himself as one of Formula 1’s leading drivers, but this event removes many of the advantages normally associated with Grand Prix racing.

There will be no Red Bull Formula 1 car, no familiar F1 grid and no conventional race strategy. Instead, Verstappen will have to navigate an enormous pack of rivals in identical machinery while trying to eliminate them one by one.

The biggest question is therefore not simply whether Verstappen can drive faster than his opponents. It is whether he can find a way past 100 competitors before the 30-lap clock runs out.

With the entire field starting together and every overtake carrying consequences for the remaining challengers, even a driver of Verstappen’s calibre faces an entirely different type of racing challenge.

Silverstone is ready. The 100 challengers are waiting.

Now, Verstappen has to find a way through them.