Ted Kravitz wins bet with McLaren boss as Max Verstappen proves him right (original) (raw)

Ted Kravitz made a 45p bet with McLaren boss Andrea Stella that Lando Norris would finish ahead of Max Verstappen in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and the Sky Sports F1 reporter was proved correct

Max Verstappen could only finish fifth in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Sky Sports F1's pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz is 45p up after he correctly guessed Lando Norris would clinch P4 over Max Verstappen - having made a bet with McLaren's Andrea Stella.

Bantering with Norris pre-race on Sunday (September 15), Kravitz flaunted an Azerbaijani Manat, saying to the young driver: "I'm not a betting man, but I've made a One Manat (£0.45p) wager with Andrea [Stella] that you'll finish P4 in front of Max", to which Norris wittily replying: "Damn, how do I do that".

Turning the tables, Norris acknowledged overtaking Verstappen in Baku would be no walk in the park, adding: "It's not an easy thing to do around a street circuit".

The reporter's spot-on gamble saw the 24-year-old outpace the reigning champ at P5, and now fans are clamouring for more sage advice from the reporter. An X (formerly Twitter) user posted: "Any other predictions we should know about," while another fan jokingly wrote: "Lottery numbers please Ted...."

One individual dished out a cheeky tip for Kravitz, adding: "You should have put a lot more on that". Despite clinching one spot above Verstappen, Norris only managed to trim down the 59-point lead the Dutchman holds over him by three points, reports the Express.

However, tension seemed to bubble when Norris raised suspicions with McLaren via team radio about Verstappen potentially overtaking rivals under Virtual Safety Car conditions post-race.

The drama unfolded as the Grand Prix drew to a close under a VSC following a crash between Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez. This prompted an investigation into the Dutchman's conduct after the flag had dropped, resulting in a summons to the race stewards for a possible infringement.

Ted Kravitz informed Lando Norris of his bet before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Adding to the spectacle, Verstappen caught up with Norris post-race, exchanging waves before darting past George Russell. Norris relayed to McLaren: "Max is overtaking everyone. It's still a VSC, right? I don't know if it still matters or not, but it's still a VSC."

Following the investigation, Verstappen was issued a warning by the FIA, alongside fellow drivers Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon, and Pierre Gasly for their actions.

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