Jeff Dodds, the CEO of Formula E, is so convinced of a new title for Max Verstappen that he has promised to donate a large amount of money to charity if the Dutchman were to miss out on the world title. Verstappen won nineteen Grands Prix in 2023 and opened the winter test with the fastest time in the morning session.
Verstappen and Red Bull Racing completed one of the most dominant seasons in the history of the sport in 2023. Only in Singapore did the Austrian team miss out on the overall victory; this went to Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz. Verstappen became the first driver ever with more than twice as many points as the vice world champion, in this case Sergio Pérez, and Red Bull as a team also captured more than twice as many points as Mercedes or Ferrari.
Dodds dares to bet money on it
“He will almost certainly become champion,” says Dodds to the Argentinian TNT Sports. ‘I’m 99 percent sure he will win the World Cup. There are twenty drivers in Formula 1, so there are nineteen others. If one of those nineteen manages to beat him, I will transfer $250,000 to a charity of that driver’s choice,” says the CEO of the electric class, where Red Bull Racing simulator driver Jake Dennis is the reigning champion.
Dodds’ message did not come out of nowhere. The CEO of Formula E has regularly indicated that Formula 1 is much more predictable than Formula E, and uses that unpredictability as a sales pitch. ‘No one knows in advance who will win. I always find that very exciting. The Formula 1 season is about to start again. I’m going to watch again, and I will always be a fan, but I know in advance who will win.’
Dodds points out that the regulations are virtually the same as a year earlier. ‘It cannot be the case that you win nineteen races in 2023, then further develop the car in the winter, and then not win after the winter. I simply don’t see that happening.’ At the time of writing, Verstappen leads the time lists on the first day of the winter test in Bahrain.
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2024-02-21 14:28:00
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