Verstappen overtakes 100 amateur karters in 14 laps — SkimNews
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- Max Verstappen overtook 100 amateur drivers in 14 laps and 35 minutes at a Silverstone exhibition kart race, well inside the maximum 35 laps and 75 minutes allowed
- Verstappen started from the back behind all 100 karts and reached 37th by the end of a chaotic first lap full of crashes and spins, which briefly suspended racing
- Verstappen warned participants on race radio that 'it's not a charity event' before climbing to 10th by lap six and fourth by lap 10, with every driver he passed forced to retire
- Jacky Martens, a Dutch F1 journalist on pole, was the last holdout alongside Red Bull engine builder Lewis Osler and YouTuber Zac Alsop; all three were granted an extra 'fast lap' where they could cut a corner to delay Verstappen
- Verstappen, a four-time consecutive F1 champion from 2021 to 2024, began his career as a junior karter and said the event 'reminded me of racing back in the day'
Why it matters: Verstappen's pace was overwhelming — climbing through the field at roughly seven overtakes per lap after a chaotic start — while the exhibition underscored his karting roots before four straight F1 titles. The three final holdouts, including a journalist and a Red Bull engine builder, were each granted a corner-cutting 'fast lap' privilege that still could not slow him.
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