At Silverstone today, all 100 of the drivers who will face Max Verstappen tomorrow took to the track to get their first laps in ahead of Red Bull’s ‘Max vs 100’. Running in groups throughout the day on a shorter version of the circuit, the field worked through practice sessions to learn the layout, get familiar with the karts, and get up to speed on the format they will race tomorrow.
Red Bull Cliff Diving world champion Molly Carlson and basketball shooting coach Chris 'Lethal Shooter' Matthews were among those on track, part of a field made up of content creators, Red Bull athletes and streamers, and even fans from around the world. Tomorrow, they move to the full layout, designed by race director and circuit designer David Terrien to accommodate a 101-kart field – a longer, more technical track with new corners that none of the 100 has yet driven.
On hand to help was Arvid Lindblad. The 19-year-old Visa Cash App Racing Bulls driver, a graduate of the Red Bull Junior programme who stepped up to Formula 1 this season, spent the day with the drivers, passing on advice on everything from racing lines and braking points to what to expect when 101 karts share one track. He then went one step further as the Chaser and lined up in a 50-kart session, dead last, finding his way past all but one of the drivers ahead of him.
“The drivers were trying hard, and that was really cool to see,” says Arvid. “They weren't scared or intimidated or anything, even some of them who aren't very used to karting. The general level, it wasn't easy for me. Some of the good guys are fast, and they're only going to get better."
Oracle used practice data to run simulations on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure to predict how the action could unfold, analysing the challenge facing Max as he attempts to overtake all 100 drivers. On race day, those insights will evolve in real time, with live kart data feeding dynamic predictions and dashboards that allow fans to follow the race as it develops.
Tomorrow's race revolves around a single task: Max starts last on the 101-kart grid and has just 30 laps to attempt to pass every driver ahead of him. A driver is eliminated the moment the rear of Max’s kart draws level with the front of theirs, with the field shrinking as the four-time F1 World Champion works his way through it. Every kart is identical, with sealed ballast fitted to level out any weight advantage between drivers. The 100 challengers hold one card of their own: a fast lap, usable once in the race's first half, and once by Max in the second. It echoes the format that shaped Max as a driver in his early years – start at the back and fight forward – except this time, it’s set to be the biggest go-kart race the world has seen.
Max vs 100 airs live globally on Disney+ from 17:00 BST on 16 September 2026, with the race starting at 18:00 BST. It will also stream live on the ESPN App for ESPN Unlimited subscribers in the U.S., before broadcast on ESPN2 later that day.
QUOTES
David Terrien, track designer and race director: “We saw that the drivers have been improving all day long. The general behaviour on track was great, but people were fighting. I saw guys who were neck and neck with Arvid, and they wouldn't let him go at all. They were actually making it difficult for him. That's also a great fighting spirit. That's what we all want to see. It's not making Max's life easier for tomorrow, because the guys are actually quite good.”
Chris 'Lethal Shooter' Matthews, basketball shooting coach and Red Bull athlete: “I don't think there's a way to stop Max. We pray that he makes a mistake, but people like him, they barely make mistakes … He's the best driver ever. Like I always say in basketball terms, he's our Michael Jordan, our Kobe Bryant, our Magic Johnson, his determination, his concentration towards his craft is one to none.”
Molly Carlson, cliff diving world champion and Red Bull athlete: “I think the chaos on the track will be fun, because there's not only a lot of talent, but there's a lot of personalities. I think some people will be sassy, some people will be dramatic. I'm so excited to see what all 100 people decide to do.”
Sebastian Job, two-time iRacing World Champion, Oracle Red Bull Sim Racing: “The advantage for the 100 is the amount of them, really. It's a swarm of zombies. But it's a matter of attrition. I'm sure Max will be patient, and I think he'll pick them off over time.”
“When I did the test race, one of the main places you can gain is off the start, with quick reaction time. You might think, because it's going to be a long race, Max might not be paying attention at the start. Some people won't be. I guarantee he'll get at least five or ten people into Turn 1 because he'll be so focused, ready to go.”
Nikola Tsolov, Red Bull Junior Driver and F2 Championship leader: “This event is going to be very huge, very fun to watch. It's going to be a bit of a challenge for Max, because I saw some of the guys are pretty quick out there. We expected them to be a bit slower, so it is definitely going to be hard for him.”
Find the full driver line-up and broadcast information here.
Stream live here.
Livestream start times 16 Sept on Disney+ globally and the ESPN app. Also available: China on BiliBili, and in India, the stream will be available in Hindi on the Red Bull Motorsport YouTube channel.
United Kingdom (BST) 17:00
Central Europe (CEST) 18:00
US Eastern (EDT) 12:00
US Pacific (PDT) 09:00
Japan (JST) 01:00, 17 Sept
Australia Eastern (AEST) 02:00, 17 Sept