Lando Norris threatening to trigger huge $250k Max Verstappen F1 2024 title charity bet

One charity is set to become $250,000 richer should anyone other than Max Verstappen win the F1 2024 World Championship.

And while that seemed like a very unlikely prospect earlier in the season, McLaren’s Lando Norris has a huge opportunity ahead to upset the odds and ensure a massive injection of funds for one lucky charity of his choosing.

Max Verstappen not winning F1 2024 title is ticket to $250k

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher and Sam Cooper

That is because Jeff Dodds, CEO of the all-electric Formula E series, has promised to donate $250,000 to the chosen charity of a driver that beats Verstappen to the crown.

Formula E is broadcast on TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland, and during an interview with the broadcaster , which took place before F1 2024 began, Dodds declared of Verstappen’s title chances: “99 per cent he gets that trophy.

“I’ll tell you what, so if he doesn’t win it, there are 19 other drivers, if any one of the other 19 drivers win it, we’ll give a quarter of a million dollars to the charity of choice of the driver that does win it.

“It wouldn’t be the worst day in the office to give a load of money to charity, but absolutely, he is nailed on to win that season.”

Learn more about three-time F1 World Champion Max Verstappen

👉 Max Verstappen car collection: What supercars does the F1 World Champion own?

👉 Max Verstappen net worth: How the World Champion has built his incredible fortune

Verstappen appeared to be setting up a fresh cruise to title glory in F1 2024, winning four of the opening five races, but now, the momentum has shifted as Norris is only 62 points behind with eight rounds remaining.

McLaren’s upgrade package in Miami proved a key turning point as Norris drove the MCL38 to his first F1 career victory, but while the timing of the Safety Car provided a major helping hand there, McLaren has kicked on to become arguably the current benchmark team for outright pace on the F1 2024 grid.

Verstappen and Red Bull meanwhile are without a victory in their last six outings, with McLaren now smelling a real opportunity at both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships , McLaren having whittled Red Bull’s lead down to just eight points.

The opening-lap scenes at Monza therefore sparked plenty of debate as Oscar Piastri launched a brave, but successful pass on team-mate Norris at the second chicane, taking the lead, with Piastri going on to finish P2 and Norris P3, as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc stunned McLaren by pulling off the one-stop strategy to win in front of the tifosi.

McLaren boss Andrea Stella confirmed after the race that their “papaya rules” of engagement would be reviewed after that Piastri and Norris battle, as McLaren chase the title double.

Asked by the media including PlanetF1.com whether Piastri respected the “papaya rules” at Monza, Stella replied: “We will have to review together with the drivers, look at the videos, understand their point of view, and then we will assess together whether they were fully compliant or not.

“We will take the learning, if there is any learning that we need to take, and then we will adjust the papaya rules such that they allow us to pursue in the best possible manner both the Constructors’ Championship and the Drivers’ Championship, because we have to be now in condition to acknowledge that not only the Constructors’ Championship is possible.

“Even from a driver’s point of view, with the performance we have at the moment in the car, and some of the struggles that we see with Red Bull, it is definitely possible.

“So if we can achieve both as a team, we need to put the team in condition and Lando in condition to pursue both championships.”

Read next: Aston Martin ‘now aiming’ for Max Verstappen with 2026 talks ‘underway’ – report