F1 stars back Verstappen in karting challenge: 'He'll do it easily'

On Wednesday, Verstappen's challenge of taking on 100 drivers in a karting challenge will premiere globally on Disney+, subject to regional availability. Meanwhile, fans in the United States will also be able to watch it live via the ESPN App if they have an ESPN Unlimited subscription. Verstappen's rivals will be Red Bull athletes, content creators, and celebrities.

Valtteri Bottas will not be one of the drivers, he joked in Madrid. "Yeah, if I can follow, for sure I’ll have a look. Sounds entertaining, but I’m busy next week and elsewhere, so I can’t join, sadly."

Based on his own experience, Sainz has no doubt that Verstappen can complete the challenge. The Spaniard explained: "I did a karting race yesterday with my team. Started 20th because we did reverse grid and I was P1 in five laps. So by my calculations, if there’s another 20 times five, in 20 laps Max will be for sure P1. Fifteen, 20 laps, or who knows, depends how much overtaking there is. But he will win it easy."

Bortoleto then added: "Yeah, it depends on the level of the other drivers there, obviously. But I think there’s a big chance of him winning and, if I’m home doing nothing, will turn on to have fun and watch it, for sure."

“In go-karts you learn all the basics: starts, defending, overtaking," Verstappen previously said.