Four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen took to the track at Silverstone on September 16, 2026, overtaking 100 amateur karters in just 14 laps and 35 minutes during a chaotic exhibition event.
Motorsport exhibitions often lean on manufactured drama, but the spectacle at the Silverstone circuit in England offered genuine bedlam. The four-time Formula 1 titleholder, who secured his championships between 2021 and 2024, did not merely drop by for a ceremonial lap. He arrived to dismantle a field of 100 content creators, streamers, athletes, journalists, and internet personalities who all fancied their chances at beating him at his own game on a purpose-designed layout at the grand prix circuit in Northamptonshire.
Carnage on Lap One and Open Radio Chaos
The event was scheduled for a maximum of 35 laps or 75 minutes, but the field began thinning almost immediately. By the end of a chaotic first lap that saw numerous drivers crash or spin out, causing a brief suspension of racing, Verstappen had climbed to 37th place.
What separated the exhibition from standard racing was the sensory overload. Open radio channels permitted live chatter between Verstappen, the amateur karters, and the broadcasting booth. Drivers could be heard yelping and pleading as the Dutchman hunted them down. The rules dictated that any driver overtaken by Verstappen was immediately eliminated from the contest.
By the fifth lap, 80 percent of the field had been wiped out. The grid featured no professional racing drivers, instead relying on personalities such as Dutch F1 journalist Jacky Martens, Red Bull engine builder Lewis Osler, and YouTuber Zac Alsop.
Gimmicks, Shortcuts, and Surviving the Grass
To give the 100 amateurs a fighting chance, organizers built specific advantages into the format. The entire amateur field started ahead of Verstappen on the grid. Participants were also allowed to take a single shortcut lap to gain ground. Verstappen had access to a similar shortcut privilege, though his use of it was restricted to the final 15 laps.
The race was far from clean for the grand prix winner. On lap seven, Verstappen misjudged a corner, spun briefly into the grass, and sent a piece flying off his kart before recovering. He continued his charge, reaching the top five by the eighth lap.
As Verstappen closed in on the leaders, officials withdrew his shortcut privilege and granted the remaining top four drivers an extra fast lap to help them defend their positions. It made little difference. By lap 12, corner-cutting privileges were entirely revoked for Verstappen as he zeroed in on the breakaway top three.
Reeling in the Final Breakaway Trio
The final phase of the challenge boiled down to a hunt among the remaining trio of Martens, Osler, and Alsop. Martens, who had secured pole position during qualifying, proved to be the ultimate stubborn obstacle, holding out as the final driver on the track before Verstappen completed his sweep.
The entire ordeal concluded after just 14 laps and 35 minutes of actual racing time—finishing well inside the 75-minute limit with 21 laps and 40 minutes to spare according to broadcaster accounts. Grand Prix winner David Coulthard, observing the event, noted prior to the start that Verstappen’s competitive pedigree made him uniquely suited for such an unorthodox trial.
He’s a serial winner, and therefore he’s not turning up here to shine a spotlight on some other individual.
David Coulthard, Grand Prix winner and Red Bull factory driver
After climbing out of his kart and taking the chequered flag, Verstappen reflected on where the exhibition sat in his broader motorsport collection. That was simply lovely, wasn’t it?
he remarked, before assessing the scale of the achievement by declaring, I think this is the best one yet!
as noted by sports coverage of the event’s final standings.