How Long Does It Take a Formula 1 Champion to Pass 100 Amateur Drivers? Max Verstappen Reveals the Answer

It’s a question we’ve all debated during casual gatherings with friends. What could ordinary mortals achieve against a Formula 1 driver? Red Bull has given us an answer. But they didn’t pick a mere mortal; they enlisted 100. And facing him wasn’t just a single Formula 1 driver. It was none other than Max Verstappen.

Verstappen started in 101st place in a kart race that Red Bull organized on an internal Silverstone circuit. The objective was to see how long Verstappen would take to reach first place. The answer was blunt: 39 minutes. Just over thirteen laps were sufficient for Verstappen to overtake 100 drivers.

Verstappen overtook 100 drivers in 39 minutes

Red Bull has always been known for organizing events of all kinds, but this week’s affair at Silverstone surpassed them all. The energy drink brand aimed to resolve an existential question for any car enthusiast: How much better is a professional driver than a mere amateur? Max Verstappen has the answer.

Red Bull placed Verstappen behind 100 entirely amateur drivers to compete in a kart race on an internal Silverstone circuit. To understand how amateur the drivers were, one only needs to know that Spanish YouTuber TheGrefg, based in Andorra, with no substantial driving experience, qualified fourth on the starting grid.

Before the race, Verstappen predicted, “let’s be optimistic. On the first lap I overtook, say, 40, being aggressive.” He overtook 64. That said, he did cut a corner or two. From there, he had already done most of the dirty work, but the hardest part remained: shedding the 36 fastest riders.

Among the participants were also other Spanish competitors such as Bea Eguiraun, a journalist, presenter, and content creator, and Pol Tarrés, a rally and raid driver. Verstappen reached the lead by halfway through lap 13 of the 30 scheduled. His first pass of the finish line as the leader was on lap 14.

In total, 39 minutes were all Verstappen needed to overtake 100 amateur drivers in a kart race. And there was a little shortcut available only to amateurs that could be used occasionally, which added a touch more excitement to the event. All this, with karts that were almost rental-grade, running even with protective gear on. Imagine this with sports cars.

After the race, Verstappen could only respond with irony: “Maybe next time we should consider calling 200.”

Images | Red Bull