'Radical' Red Bull RB20 teased as castaway driver praised

Another busy day in the world of Formula 1 is in the books, so now is the time to catch-up on the key F1 news.

The paddock reportedly fears fresh “annihilation” in F1 2024 as Red Bull prepare to unleash a “radical” concept change, while a driver once a part of their line-up in Alex Albon has been branded “hot property” as he shines at Williams.

All this and much more, so let us dive into the hot topics…

Red Bull to crush rival’s hopes with ‘radical’ RB20?

F1 2023 has been a story of Red Bull domination, the team claiming 19 of the 20 grand prix wins on offer so far and 17 of them going the way of three-time World Champion Max Verstappen.

Since the summer break Red Bull have been focused on next season’s challenger, the RB20, which reportedly has rivals fearing for what is to come.

As reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, the way that the RB20 generates and distributes downforce compared to the RB19 will be ‘radically’ different, as the floor and venturi tunnels work in an alternate way to create the ground effect.

Christian Horner lauds ‘hot property’ Alex Albon

Albon would surely love another stint at Red Bull with machinery like the RB19 and this ominous RB20 at his disposal, but he is doing a stellar job at Williams as he continues to turn heads in the paddock.

The Thai driver is under Williams contract until the end of F1 2024 and judging by Horner’s words, the former Red Bull racer could find himself in demand for 2025.

“He’s got the experience now, he’s toughened for sure and he’s a hot property again,” said Horner of Albon on the Eff Won podcast.

Mercedes not impacted by INEOS-Manchester United deal

INEOS, headed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, own one-third of the Mercedes F1 team and are expected to add to their portfolio by acquiring a 25 per cent stake in Manchester United.

However, while this one-quarter stake is set to cost a handsome £1.25billion, a source has told PlanetF1.com that it “changes nothing” for the running of Mercedes’ Formula 1 team.

‘Annoying’ engineer contributing to Charles Leclerc Ferrari struggles?

Like Mercedes, F1 2023 has also been a bitterly disappointing campaign for Ferrari, with ambitions of a return to the title scene failing to materialise for both teams.

Charles Leclerc at times has cut a frustrated figure at Ferrari, a team that has seemingly tried to respond to its shortcomings at times on strategy by getting the drivers more involved for a final decision.

However, former Ferrari team manager Peter Windsor said he would be “annoyed” by this if he were Leclerc.

“I’ve got to say, that engineer they do have talking to Charles, I think if I was Charles I’d get a bit annoyed by that,” said Windsor on his latest YouTube livestream.

Jenson Button drops Brawn GP-Red Bull bombshell

Back in 2009, Button was part of one Formula 1’s greatest underdog stories as he raced to World Championship glory with Brawn GP, the team also claiming the Constructors’ title in the only season of their existence.

But with a new documentary on the horizon to celebrate the story, Button revealed attempts to get himself into the Red Bull fold before Brawn GP came to be from the ashes of Honda’s shock withdrawal.

Asked on British television show This Morning whether he had any idea that Brawn GP would be such a success, Button said: “No, no. I tried to get out of it, because the team didn’t look like it was going to exist.

“So I asked around and my manager spoke to Christian Horner about a drive at his team and the junior team and they said: ‘No, all the contracts are done.’ So then it’s like: ‘OK, well let’s work hard to make this happen.’”