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via Reuters

The 2021 F1 championship was decided within corners after the controversial safety car saga at the Abu Dhabi GP. Since winning the 2021 championship, Max Verstappen has become a force to be reckoned with. The Dutchman broke multiple records during the 2022 season and came back in 2023 and broke many of them again by an even bigger margin. Hence, stamped his authority on F1. But now the Formula E CEO has come out and made a bet against Max Verstappen’s rivals.

Max Verstappen won 19 out of the 22 races during the 2023 F1 season. With Red Bull RB20 looking more dramatic than ever, it seems fair to suggest that the competitors are going to have another tough year. Yet, people continue to wish for a different world champion now. Many reports even suggested that Max Verstappen’s dominance is leading to the decline of F1 viewerships. Amid all this, Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds claimed that he would give $250,000 to the charity of the driver who beat Verstappen to the championship.

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During an interview when asked about Verstappen winning the 2024 season, Jeff Dodds said, “99% he gets that trophy. I’ll tell you what, if he doesn’t win it. So 20 drivers in Formula 1, if he doesn’t win it, if any one of the other 19 drivers wins it, we’ll give a quarter of a million dollars to the charity of the choice of other driver who wins it.” He continued, “But absolutely, he is nailed on to win that season, which is why for me as a fan, I’m going to turn up to Sao Paulo.”

With Lewis Hamilton announcing his move to Ferrari in 2025, this might be a good time for him to leave Mercedes on a high and finish the “unfinished business” that he talked about while signing the Mercedes contract. What better, it’ll come with a $250,000 boost for his charity, Mission 44. 

However, rumors suggest that his charity talks were also involved during his Ferrari contract negotiations. What was that all about? 

John Elkann’s investment in Lewis Hamilton’s off-track projects

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When Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes contract was due last season, rumors suggested that Lewis Hamilton had asked Mercedes for an ambassador role. Alas, Mercedes didn’t agree to that, which led to the Brit signing a 1+1 year contract. But with the 7X champ leaving the Brackley stable, many wondered what was it that pursued him to join the Scuderia. The rumors suggest it was something that Mercedes couldn’t give Hamilton in the last couple of years.

via Reuters

 No, we’re not talking about a championship-winning car but the ambassador role. John Elkann is rumored to have promised Hamilton an ambassadorial role at Ferrari. Also, an alleged $400 Million investment in Lewis Hamilton’s charity, Mission 44, is reported to have been promised by the Ferrari President.

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What do you think? Will Lewis Hamilton be able to beat Max Verstappen in 2024?

Written by

Pranay Bhagi

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Pranay is an F1 Content Analyst and writer at EssentiallySports who effortlessly blends his technical knowledge and passion for F1 in his writing. He has a knack for unique content research and specializes in trend-setting articles. Pranay’s coverage of the departure of Guenther Steiner from Haas received appreciation from readers.
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Edited by

Akash Pandhare