VERSTAPPEN WINS GO-KART RACE FROM LAST TO FIRST AT SILVERSTONE

Max Verstappen, the four-time Formula One world champion, won the "Max vs 100" go-kart race at Silverstone after starting in 101st and last place, according to the report. He beat a field made up of content creators, fans and athletes, all driving identical karts, to complete the 14-lap event with 40 minutes still remaining on the allotted time. Verstappen said "That was simply lovely" after passing pole-sitter Jacky Martens, a Dutch journalist, to seal the win. Verstappen had not recorded a Formula One race victory so far this year at the time of the event, the report noted.

Organisers' pre-race algorithms had predicted Verstappen would need a full hour to work through all 100 rivals, according to the report. A chaotic opening lap left him in 36th place, and a full-course yellow flag, triggered by a multi-kart pile-up, briefly slowed his progress further. By the start of the fourth lap he had climbed to 25th, reaching the top ten just two laps later. Leading drivers were permitted a so-called "Chucky lap", allowing them to cut a corner and extend their advantage, which the top three used on three occasions before Verstappen overtook Martens on the final lap. One account of the race said Verstappen left the track at the second corner while overtaking a rival amid the early disorder.

Verstappen said beforehand that failing to win would have been "a bit embarrassing", and afterwards ranked the result among his best, saying "this is one of the best ones yet." He has recorded 71 Formula One race wins, a tally exceeded only by Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher, according to the report. He credited early chaos among rivals for his recovery from the back of the field, saying he expected his first lap "to be a disaster" but was helped by others crashing. The report noted Verstappen has recently committed his future to Red Bull through to 2030.