How Verstappen Won the ‘Biggest Race’ of His Motorsport Career
Red Bull called it “the world’s biggest go-kart race” – and Max Verstappen turned it into an unforgettable display of racing skill. Starting from 101st on the grid, Verstappen produced an incredible charge through the field at Silverstone’s 2.5km karting circuit.
After gaining an astonishing 64 positions on the opening lap, Verstappen continued his relentless climb, reaching 25th by Lap 4, 10th by Lap 6 and fifth by Lap 7. With the field rapidly shrinking, the pressure was on as he closed in on the final challengers.
With speed, precision and calculated racecraft, Verstappen completed his remarkable P101-to-P1 comeback, turning an extraordinary challenge into one of the most entertaining races of his motorsport career.
After a couple of practice days for an enthusiastic field of challengers, overseen by Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad, things became serious when Verstappen arrived to get his first taste of a 2.5km track that blended Silverstone’s kart venue and sections of its F1 layout.
Verstappen’s pace – displayed to devastating effect in F1 over the last decade – was obviously never in question, but would the Dutchman have the time, space and dash of fortune required to pull off an ambitious charge from 101st to first?
“It’s a long way! A very long way!” Verstappen smiled during a pre-race interview as he walked from the front to the back of the grid – the size of the challenge appearing to dawn on him moments before the 1800 start.
What followed was box office entertainment.
Verstappen’s P101 to P1 charge
Shuffling forward in his kart to gain momentum as soon as the lights went out, Verstappen had ducked and dived past a gaggle of rivals by Turn 1, where he somehow managed to avoid being taken out in the bottleneck, and then strategically took to the grass to avoid various spinners.
His rapid rise continued through the rest of Sector 1 and Sector 2, until Race Control threw a Full Course Yellow to cover off further incidents.
It felt like Verstappen had managed to pick off 20 or 30 karts amid the drama. At a push, 40 or 50. Yet incredibly, when the timing screens updated, he found himself in 37th position, having made up a whopping 64 places in just one tour.
“Not a bad first lap, then!” Verstappen chimed on the radio when informed about his progress.
After the racing resumed, Verstappen climbed to 25th by Lap 4, 10th by Lap 6, and fifth by Lap 7, the number of karts out on track dropping and dropping until just three others remained: those of F1 journalist Jacky Martens, YouTuber Zac Alsop and Red Bull Ford Powertrains technician Lewis Osler.
The front three, led by polesitter Martens, joked over the radio about how they might work together to form a roadblock when Verstappen arrived, but in reality, there was no stopping the F1 superstar.