Max Verstappen again demonstrated his ability at the wheel, although this time far from a Formula 1 monoplace. The Red Bull driver was the protagonist of a peculiar karting race in Silverstone, UK, where he had to face 100 drivers in a challenge called Max vs. by 100.
The format was as simple as demanding: Verstappen started from the 101st position and had 30 laps to advance all of his rivals. Every participant who was overtaken by the Dutch was eliminated from the competition.
The four-time Formula 1 champion managed to complete the challenge and finished in the first place after overcoming one by one the 100 drivers who participated in the event organized by Red Bull Racing.
And it only took 14 laps ? #F1BXBXB #RedBullRacing pic.twitter.com/eiHT2WJJxK
The race made it clear from the first meters that the participants would have few chances to escape from Verstappen.
The Dutchman started from position 101 and advanced 20 drivers before reaching the first curve. The competition, in addition, was marked by a yellow flag on the hairpin and subsequently by another that affected the whole circuit.
Despite those interruptions, Verstappen closed the first round in the P37, meaning that he had won no less than 64 positions in a single turn.
DU DU DU DU ?#F1B1B2B #RedBullRacing pic.twitter.com/wa4JXv6tWz
The elimination format made it even more difficult to stay on track. Once Verstappen surpassed a driver, he was out of competition, although he could stay on the circuit to support his teammates.
Participants were divided into five teams of 20 drivers, with the mission of trying to survive as long as possible in front of the Red Bull driver.
One of the participants who managed to resist during the first rounds was the Dominican RD Javi. Verstappen finally advanced him in the third round, although he managed to finish in the seventh position among the 100 participants.
The organizers introduced a strategic element known as “Chucky Lap”, a variant of the track that allowed drivers to cut a curve.
The name referred to a comparison made by Zak Brown, who had related Verstappen to the character Chucky.
The Chucky Lap rule added another element of pressure to the race.
The 100 participants had to use this variant before the 15th round, if not, they would receive a black flag and would be disqualified.
Verstappen could also resort to the shortcut, but had a different condition: he could only use it after completing the 15th round.
There’s chucky lap where drivers can use a shortcut ONLY ONCE to escape from max but they have to use it BEFORE lap 15 .. max gets his chucky lap AFTER lap 15 ?? pic.twitter.com/9P7AcgAiT9
The challenge was originally scheduled for 30 rounds, although there was also a time limit.
With the passage of the rounds, the number of rivals was decreasing until Verstappen reached the first positions.
The Dutch driver went ahead of his competitors to get to the first place and complete the goal of Max vs. 100.
The race allowed Verstappen to compete in a format completely different from the usual in Formula 1, but with a constant that remains regardless of the vehicle type: its ability to find spaces and advance its rivals.
Strike to pose ?#F1B1B2B #RedBullRacing https://t.co/soe2KNGWld pic.twitter.com/OHgwLVCXrs
