The first victory of Max Verstappen in 2026 did not come in a Formula 1 race or after a championship battle. The Dutchman had to wait until September to celebrate a victory again, and he did so in a way that was as unique as it was striking: he started from the last position against a hundred rivals and managed to overtake them all in a karting competition.
The challenge, organized by Red Bull under the name "Max vs 100 karts", took place at the Silverstone circuit during the Formula 1 break between the Grands Prix of Spain and Azerbaijan. The event brought together 100 participants including influencers, streamers, journalists, content creators to race on a modified track that had extra features, with tricky sections, a one-time shortcut (for Verstappen in the second half of the race and for the others in the first) and even a water curve that could cause mistakes.
One day before the race, all competitors participated in a course taught by Arvid Lindblad, a driver who is also part of the Red Bull structure and currently races as a main driver for Racing Bulls. Then, a qualifying session was held for one lap to determine the starting positions, although there was one spot that was already reserved: Verstappen had to start from position 101.
The race was set for 30 laps and was contested with identical rental karts for everyone. Despite starting from the back and encountering a chaotic start, the four-time world champion advanced rapidly. In the first lap, he managed to get into the top 40 and shortly after he had already reached the top 20.
His pace made the difference from that moment on. Verstappen took advantage of every opportunity to overtake and, without the possibility of using the shortcuts that some of his rivals had, continued to cut through positions quickly until he was just a few meters away from the leaders.
In the decisive stretch, he overtook Red Bull's engine mechanic Lewis Osler, Dutch journalist Jacky Martens, and British YouTuber Zac Alsop, completing a comeback that allowed him to leave behind the 100 competitors in just 14 laps. After the race, Verstappen acknowledged that the challenge had its difficulties. "It hasn't been easy, there are some very fast people. But I took advantage of the fact that there were some very excited ones to start strong", said the Red Bull driver.
After completing the final maneuver, Verstappen celebrated the victory with one of his most recognized phrases: "¡Simply lovely!". Thus, the driver achieved a unique victory in a year in which he had not yet been able to step onto the highest podium in any of the 14 races held in the season of the Maximum.
