Verstappen needs 35 minutes to pass 100 karts at Silverstone and win Red Bull challenge

SILVERSTONE, England (AP) — Max Verstappen needed about 35 minutes to overcome 100 karting drivers in a Red Bull event at Silverstone on Wednesday.

Verstappen started 101st at the Silverstone karting circuit, and overtook 64 drivers on the first lap alone, with many of his opponents crashing among themselves.

“When I went to the grid and I saw where I had to start, with 100 karts in front of me, I was a little bit worried,” Verstappen said. “After my first lap with all the carnage, I did think, ‘OK, we have got this under control.’”

Many got blocked on the track after a pile-up that prompted a full-course yellow flag. Verstappen went off track but was able to return.

“That was simply lovely,” Verstappen said. “It was a lot of fun.”

Verstappen, who finished second in Formula 1’s Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, was up to 37th two minutes into the race.

He went off track again but stayed comfortably faster than most drivers, none of them with any significant professional driving experience.

He said jokingly that the victory ranked as “the best one yet” in his career.

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