Red Bull ‘zeropods’ teased as Lewis Hamilton faces ‘awkward’ season

With pre-season testing just four days away, it is time to bring you up to speed with the latest major Formula 1 headlines.

Red Bull brought the curtain down on F1 2024 launch season with their RB20 reveal, but it seems a major Mercedes-esque design changes looms, while Mercedes’ seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton is set for a strange final season with the team, so says Max Verstappen.

All this and more in your Saturday fix of Formula 1 news…

Red Bull reportedly readying ‘zeropod’ concept
Since the ground effect regulations were rolled out from 2022, it has become clear that Red Bull’s approach to this F1 era has been the most effective, with Mercedes encountering two seasons of struggle as their unique take on the regulations failed to pay off

Lewis Hamilton set for ‘awkward, weird’ final Mercedes season?
Whatever Red Bull is cooking, Mercedes will hope to take the title fight to them in F1 2024, as Hamilton looks to sign off in style with a record-breaking eighth World Championship ahead of joining Ferrari.

However, Hamilton’s 2021 title rival Verstappen feels the coming season will be awkward for the Brit, who “can’t be included into everything anymore” now that he is Ferrari bound.

Carlos Sainz does not need to put himself in ‘shop window’
Hamilton’s Ferrari arrival comes at the expense of Sainz, who must now find himself a new home on the grid come 2025.

However, he goes into the new campaign without a sense of needing to market himself to potential suitors, making it clear to media including PlanetF1.com that: “I don’t think I need a new season to prove that or to show to anyone what I’m capable of.”