Red Bull is eyeing a move for IndyCar champion Alex Palou to join Max Verstappen in the team’s Formula 1 ranks, according to a report in America.

The Milton Keynes-based squad has returned to struggling with its second seat alongside Verstappen, after firing Sergio Perez at the end of last year.

Liam Lawson lasted just two races at the start of this year and was replaced by Yuki Tsunoda, who has also struggled to score points in the tricky RB21.

Meanwhile, Palou’s stock has continued to rise Stateside, as he took his third straight IndyCar title just two weeks ago, his fourth overall.

It would not be the first time that Palou has been linked to F1, after an initial and contentious connection via McLaren.

The Woking-based outfit filed a lawsuit in 2023, which is ongoing, regarding an alleged breach of contract, after having tested its F1 challengers in a reserve driver role.

And earlier this summer, Williams Team Principal James Vowles revealed that the Spaniard was on its shortlist of candidates for a drive alongside Alex Albon this year.

Immediately after his first Indy 500 win this year, Palou revealed to the Indianapolis Star newspaper that F1 was not “calling him” anymore.

He added that his focus was now away from F1 after his long and successful stint across the pond, and that he “[liked] winning races”, seeking glory rather than fame.

But now the same publication is reporting that Red Bull’s hierarchy may now be able to tempt his attention back to F1.

However, the supposed terms of Palou’s current contract with Chip Ganassi Racing could see Red Bull required to pay a hefty release clause to spring the 28-year-old from it.

Unlike other IndyCar drivers rumoured to be seeking the challenge of F1, Palou has the required Super Licence points in order to race.

And his glowing profile as one of the world’s best drivers might also tempt Red Bull into a potential play for his signature, particularly given the sport’s growing popularity in the country.

READ MORE – IndyCar star Colton Herta yet to rule out F2 switch to help secure F1 drive

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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has branded his old Formula 1 adversary Christian Horner an “a**hole” in an assessment of their longstanding personal rivalry.

Horner’s dismissal by Red Bull in July brought to an end the 51-year-old’s 20-year spell in F1, having led the Milton Keynes-based squad since its inception.

It also closed a chapter on one of the most fraught and public displays of verbal warfare between two Team Principals in the sport’s history.

Horner and Wolff’s rivalry often conveyed a genuine mutual disliking, amid Red Bull and the German marque’s on-track battle for supremacy.

Even right up to the end of Horner’s tenure, the pair could often be the subject of a verbal jousting, with Wolff blasting Red Bull’s protest of George Russell’s victory in Canada.

When asked to sum up Horner and his time in F1, the Austrian told Formula.hu: “What do I think [of Horner]?

“Well, that over the last 12-15 years, he has often behaved like an asshole.

“He operates according to completely different values, but even the greatest enemy has a best friend.

“On the other hand, he was extremely successful in what he did.

“Now that he’s gone, at least for a while, a real personality has left the sport.

“He was controversial and divisive, but he was one of the main characters here. We can safely say that he was as significant as a great driver.

“Looking at it purely from an F1 perspective, I don’t think there are many old-style team boss dinosaurs left here.

“Maybe just me. Maybe Fred [Vasseur, Ferrari team principal] is a bit of a dinosaur too!”

Wolff and Horner rivalry matched Hamilton and Verstappen’s

The pair’s contentious relationship came to a head in 2021, when their respective drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, conducted one of the most gripping Drivers’ Championship battles of all-time.

Verstappen, of course, came out on top at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, under controversial circumstances via a late Safety Car.

Whilst the Dutchman and the seven-time champion were the main protagonists, the two team bosses played their own role in the drama, too.

Asked if his rivalry with Horner might have been, at times, as memorable as their drivers’ battles, Wolff replied: “Yes.

“If you look at it, it really has always been an interesting story.

“Those years, but especially 2021, weren’t just about Max and Lewis, but also about Christian and me.

“What’s more, it was really difficult at times – and that’s in every history book and always will be.”

Wolff concluded and he might have to find himself a new rival, intimating that his own existence in F1 may not be as fun without Horner.

“He always said that I loved to hate him,” he said.

“So who should I hate now? It looks like I’ll have to find someone else…”

READ MORE – Red Bull’s F1 rivals regard Laurent Mekies as ‘perfect’ Christian Horner successor

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Carlos Sainz believes that Red Bull has appointed the “perfect” replacement for Christian Horner in Formula 1 in the form of new Team Principal Laurent Mekies.

The Frenchman replaced Horner at the Milton Keynes-based squad after the British Grand Prix, amid the shocking decision to relieve Horner of his role after 20 years in charge.

Mekies had previously been holding the same position as its satellite squad Racing Bulls since the start of 2024.

Prior to earning his Team Principal spurs at Racing Bulls, Mekies had also held roles at other teams, including Chief Engineer at its previous incarnation of Toro Rosso.

After a four-year stint as Deputy Race Director at the FIA, Mekies joined Ferrari as Sporting Director, where he worked alongside Sainz.

“He’s, I think, an extremely good professional,” the Spaniard told media including Motorsport Week.

“My time in Ferrari when he was there, I found someone that was incredibly hardworking. He understood very well the driver.

“He had a special feeling and a special communication with drivers, which I think makes things for the driver very comfortable and very open.

“Since his time in the FIA, then Ferrari, now Visa [Racing Bulls], and now coming in Red Bull, he has plenty of experience to lead one of the biggest teams in Formula 1.

“I think he’s honestly the perfect fit for that team. So, congrats to him—probably he deserves that upgrade or that step up. I think he’s going to enjoy it.”

Mekies ‘definitely capable’ of Team Principal role at Red Bull

Sainz’s ex-team-mate and current Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc concurred, saying his experience of Mekies led him to conclude he would make a fine Team Principal.

“When I worked with Laurent, he wasn’t a team principal just yet,” the Monegasque recalled.

“He had a very important position within the team. Laurent has always been extremely good at understanding people.

“He’s one of those where I didn’t have to speak much for him to understand the way I felt. That’s always very helpful.

“I’ve never had him as my Team Principal, but I’ve always seen him as a person definitely capable of becoming one. It’s great to see what’s happening to him.

“I’m super happy for him, when he first made the step to AlphaTauri back then and now at Red Bull Racing. He definitely deserves that.”

READ MORE – The principle new F1 team bosses are backed to maintain

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Liam Lawson has denied sensing an uneasy atmosphere during his stint with Red Bull in Formula 1, which preceded its sacking of boss Christian Horner.

The 51-year-old was sensationally dismissed from all operational duties by the Milton Keynes-based squad just days after the British Grand Prix.

Horner was said to have lost the confidence of the Red Bull hierarchy and was immediately replaced by Racing Bulls boss Laurent Mekies as Team Principal and CEO.

Lawson had been promoted from the satellite squad to the full Red Bull team for this season, but was switched with Yuki Tsunoda after just two Grands Prix.

When asked if he sensed a tense environment within the camp during his stint with the team, Lawson denied making such an observation.

“No, I don’t think so,” he told media including Motorsport Week. It’s not something I noticed.

“If I was trying to be very aware of everybody’s position, then maybe I would figure something out.

“But I had so much to think about myself. I only know what the decisions were with what happened with me and I made that very clear to everybody how I felt about that.

“Anything else regarding Red Bull’s relationship I wasn’t a part of and wasn’t really aware.”

Mekies was immediately called upon to fill the sizeable shoes vacated by Horner, who led Red Bull for the entirety of its 20-year history on the F1 grid.

The irony lies with Lawson’s subsequent return to Racing Bulls, having then raced the next 10 Grands Prix under the Frenchman’s management.

This meant the Kiwi was more au fait with Mekies than he was with Horner, something he added in response to the intrigue of his brief experience at the team.

“I was at Red Bull for two races, so I didn’t really work much with Red Bull,” he continued.

“It’s hard to say in two races. Honestly, I spent most of my time working with Laurent.”

READ MORE – Ford confirms increased involvement with Red Bull ahead of 2026 F1 partnership

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Ford has confirmed it has further increased its involvement with Red Bull ahead of its partnership, which formally begins from next year’s Formula 1 season.

The American giants are making a return to F1 for the first time since 2004, when it sold its Jaguar Racing outfit to the Milton Keynes-based squad.

In that time, Red Bull has, of course, gone from strength to strength, amassing eight Drivers’ Championships and six Constructors’ Championships.

Its in-house powertrains department, since its inception in 2021, has been the operator of its existing Honda power units, which it continues to use until the end of this year.

The Japanese marque is making a full return to F1 next year, but with Aston Martin, in collaboration with former Red Bull man Adrian Newey, who will design its 2026 car.

Due to Ford’s long hiatus from F1, expectations have been lowered, with former Team Principal Christian Horner saying teams such as Mercedes should be “embarrassed” if it proves to be faster than them.

F1’s 2026 regulations will see an increase in electrification, with the V6 hybrids slated to have a 50-50 split between electric and internal combustion power.

It appeared that Ford’s interest would primarily be in the electric side, but Mark Rushbrook, Ford Global Motorsports’ Director, has confirmed in an interview with ‘MOTORSPORT aktuell’ that its involvement is expanding.

“We wanted to learn about electrification: battery cell chemistry, motors, inverters, calibration, control and how everything interacts with the combustion engine,” he said.

“We wanted to learn about optimising fuel efficiency,” he said.

“Initially, we didn’t want to be so involved in combustion engines, but now we are because we obviously still have a lot to learn in this area.

“Here, we mainly help with the production of parts. So now we are involved in almost the entire car – and also on the operational side.”

Growing Ford involvement good timing due to additional Red Bull inexperience

Given Red Bull Powertrains has only previously worked on existing engines from Honda, a development of a full powertrain of its own is naturally a whole new world.

This, coupled with Ford’s long hiatus from F1, is why Red Bull has already begun to lower its expectations for the coming year.

Prior to his exit, former Team Principal Christian Horner stated that teams such as Mercedes should be “embarrassed” if their package proves to be faster than theirs.

Rushbrook said that Ford is aware that Red Bull does not have the full resources despite its powerhouse status, and intimated that its involvement has been a relief.

“We were quite lucky with our timing as far as Red Bull was concerned,” said Rushbrook. “They had just decided to develop their own powertrain for 2026.

“It was still at a very early stage, but even then they realised that resources are limited, even for a large Formula 1 team. Especially since Milton Keynes had never developed its own engine before.”

READ MORE – Helmut Marko takes aim at Mercedes for Kimi Antonelli ‘hype’

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Isack Hadjar was coy on the continued speculation regarding his Formula 1 future, saying that “not making any mistakes” could lead to a future switch to Red Bull.

The French-Algerian rookie has been one of the standout rookies of the season, leading Racing Bulls’ charge to a battle in the F1 midfield.

Hadjar’s mental strength has also been evidenced, having performed consistently despite his formation lap crash on his debut in Melbourne.

The 20-year-old’s ability to overcome a potentially confidence-shattering moment appeared to be a positive watershed moment in his nascent F1 career.

Such toughness under pressure will surely have been noted by the hierarchy at the Milton Keynes-based squad, with current team-mate Liam Lawson having been booted from the A-team after two rounds.

And with former Racing Bulls partner Yuki Tsunoda currently struggling alongside Max Verstappen, speculation has naturally arisen as to whether Hadjar is next in line.

Although Tsunoda has been given the remainder of the season to leave a positive impression, Hadjar has faced media questioning about a possible Red Bull drive.

So much so that Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer joked about the lengths he was prepared to go to ensure Hadjar would remain with the Faenza-based satellite outfit.

“He should get to know the whole business by the end of 2026. Until then, we’ll just have to handcuff him!” he said.

Hadjar’s performances have also caught the eye of former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who recently suggested he could be an ideal replacement for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari.

Ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix earlier this month, Hadjar was asked whether he was thinking about a potential future with Red Bull.

“When I can be on top of it and not making any mistakes, then yeah, I can think,” he told media including Motorsport Week.

When asked further if he was dreaming of a drive alongside Verstappen, he replied: “I’m dreaming of scoring in the points.”

READ MORE – Racing Bulls reaffirms desire to retain Isack Hadjar amid Red Bull F1 promotion possibility

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Max Verstappen has revealed how a specific hack, via Google, means he can usually avoid a track walk before every Formula 1 Grand Prix.

The Dutchman has, by his own heady standards, had a difficult season in 2025, having taken only two victories in 14 Grands Prix.

But it has not been for the want of trying, as some scintillating performances, despite an inferior Red Bull car, have shown he is still at the top of his game.

Like all F1 drivers, Verstappen will naturally be required to possess a keen attention to detail, enabling him to have the best possible chance of success on-track.

And track walks are commonplace within all forms of motorsport, as it gives teams and drivers a feel for the surface, braking areas and other such intricacies.

But for Verstappen, he has found other ways of gaining knowledge of circuits, as he explained in a video for Ford – Red Bull’s new powertrain partner.

“So, if I would come to a new track, first thing what I would do is, of course, you look at onboard,” he told co-host Chris Harris. “Whatever you can find.”

“What I actually also like to do is look at Google Maps sometimes,” he revealed. “So you just have it in your head.”

When asked by Harris if he is therefore able to visualise a circuit in detail, Verstappen replied: “Yeah, so you can think about it already a bit.”

Verstappen: F1 track walks are ‘boring’

Verstappen explained how a merely slow out-lap once in the car compensates for the expended energy on exploring a circuit on foot.

“I never do it [the track walk] anymore,” he said. “Only if the track is very, like, completely new, I might do it.

“But I always say my out-lap is my track walk, because you drive a bit slower.

“I mean honestly, to walk for like five to seven kilometres, it’s just boring.

“I just prefer to do my out-lap a bit slower, look around and you’re like ‘Okay, yeah, that’s fine.’”

With F1 set to return from its summer hiatus next weekend, there’s little doubt that Verstappen will need to learn much, as the sport arrives in his Dutch homeland at Zandvoort for Round 15.

READ MORE – Alex Albon details where he failed against Max Verstappen at Red Bull

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Alex Albon has candidly opened up about his time at Red Bull and where he failed against four-time Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen.

The 2019 season turned out to be a breakthrough season for rookie Albon as his results with Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls) earned him a surprise promotion to Red Bull.

A decision was made to replace the misfiring Pierre Gasly midway through the campaign to install the Anglo-Thai driver alongside Verstappen.

And while he fared decently well against the Dutchman that year, all eyes were on him in his sophomore year against Verstappen.

Despite two podium finishes, Albon could only finish seventh in the Drivers’ Championship, lagging behind his team-mate by a whopping 109 points.

He was let go by the Milton Keynes-based squad at the end of the season in favour of the more experienced Sergio Perez.

Looking back, Albon conceded that he might have been pushed into the limelight a tad too soon.

“So when I was with Max, I was so consumed in just myself trying to improve,” he told RacingNews365.

“And a lot of that was kind of just digging myself into data and understanding, ‘Okay, why… How can Max do this?’ And ‘How do I drive around these issues, and how does he feel there?’

“But I was inexperienced, so I didn’t really know the right questions to ask in many ways, and I never really got on top of it.”

How Red Bull axe saved Albon’s F1 career

After getting the boot by Red Bull, Albon was forced to sit out the 2021 season on the sidelines.

But Williams gave him a second chance when it signed him to partner with Nicholas Latifi for 2022.

Since then, the 29-year-old has not finished behind his team-mate in overall standings – a trend he seems to be keeping up even with Carlos Sainz this season.

14 rounds into the season so far, Albon is comfortably ahead of the Spanish driver by a margin of 38 points, leading the Grove-based team’s charge to lead the midfield.

Albon went on to explain how his time off from the sport benefited him. Today, he is confident that he can go toe-to-toe against a proven Grand Prix winner in Sainz.

“I talk a lot about my year out,” he continued.

“[It] kind of allowed me a bit more time to get on top of it before I got back in, and then with Carlos, it’s more: I do have the bandwidth, I do have the mental space, and I do have the knowledge to understand.”

READ MORE – How Carlos Sainz has already made a ‘big impact’ at Williams

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Max Verstappen has suggested that Red Bull will require a “rebuilding” phase to return to the top in Formula 1 amid a downturn in competitiveness over the last 12 months.

The Dutchman confirmed to the media ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix that he will remain with the Austrian outfit ahead of next year’s regulation reset.

Despite months of speculation linking him to Mercedes, Verstappen ended the rumours, committing to see out his Red Bull contract through 2028 – for now.

While Laurent Mekies can take comfort in working alongside the four-time World Champion, he knows there is no room for complacency; a competitive car must be delivered for Verstappen.

Though no stranger to fighting with imperfect machinery early in his Red Bull career, Verstappen has always been clear that he only competes in F1 to win.

Falling behind rivals is therefore not an option, and he is already focused on what needs to be done next season to stage a comeback.

“I’m very focused on ’26 with the team, to look ahead and make sure that we nail the regulations, and that we are competitive from the start,” he declared to the F1 website.

“The team has gone from, of course, winning championships before I arrived, to when I arrived, a bit through a rebuilding phase, and then we really hit the peak again of winning championships.

“Now I feel like [it’s] slight rebuilding. We’re still, of course, a very strong team, but I do think that to make again a step up, there’s slight rebuilding or restructuring maybe, and understanding a little bit more what’s going on, and that of course takes a little bit of time, but hopefully not too much time.

“I think that’s also a bit the mentality of the team [to fight back from a dip], it’s always been like that, so I’m not too worried about that.”

Why Verstappen was right to assess Red Bull’s path in 2026

Despite a promising start to the 2024 campaign, in which Verstappen won seven of the opening 10 rounds, Red Bull dropped off the pace significantly.

The team eventually lost out to McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship fight, but Verstappen’s brilliance ensured that he retained the Drivers’ title.

This campaign, however, has proved more challenging. After 14 races, Verstappen has only two wins – in Japan and Imola – as McLaren has dominated.

Following Red Bull’s slump, speculation over Verstappen moving to Mercedes had grown, fueled by a performance-related exit clause in his Red Bull contract.

Yet Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko believes it made sense for Verstappen to stay and see how the team begins the new era, with results potentially shaping any future decisions.

“I don’t know what considerations he made, personally and with his management, but it was clear from his statements that he wanted to stay,” Marko said of Verstappen to F1-Insider.

“Even if the escape clause had come into effect… Nobody knows what the situation will be like in 2026. Mercedes declares itself the favourite, but there is no evidence.

“Also, in terms of chassis, you don’t know who will hit the jackpot. There is a lot of uncertainty.

“From his perspective, it makes much more sense to stay, wait and see. If it turns out next year that we are not competitive, he can always reconsider his decision.”

READ MORE – How Laurent Mekies is boosting Max Verstappen’s confidence in Red Bull’s long-term F1 future

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Motorsport is often portrayed as a cold, mechanical science: engineers crunching data, drivers following strategy sheets and teams investing millions to shave off tenths of a second.

But at its heart, motor racing has always been about audacity. Some of the sport’s greatest legends are not the ones who had the best cars or the biggest budgets, but those who stared down impossible odds, made a gamble and came out victorious.

Just like the unpredictable spin of online slots, racing history is littered with stories of those who embraced risk when others played safe. Sometimes it ended in heartbreak, but other times it rewrote the record books.

James Hunt – The playboy who became Formula 1 World Champion

James Hunt (pictured above) was never meant to be the corporate-friendly face of Formula 1. He was scrappy, unpolished and more likely to be photographed with a cigarette and a pint than in the gym. When he entered the 1976 season, few believed he could seriously challenge the might of Ferrari and Niki Lauda.

But Hunt thrived on chaos. He gambled with daring overtakes, sometimes brushing wheels and dancing on the edge of disaster. The season culminated in one of the most dramatic finales in motorsport history.

Lauda, having miraculously returned after a near-fatal crash at the Nürburgring, withdrew from a rain-soaked Japanese Grand Prix. Hunt needed to finish third to take the championship. He went all-in, clawing through the field with a puncture, barely securing enough points to be crowned FIA Formula 1 World Champion by a single point.

It was a victory defined by risk, resilience and timing. The perfect metaphor for fortune favouring the bold.

Ayrton Senna at Donnington – Rain masterclass of ’93

Few drivers embodied risk like Ayrton Senna. While his three championships already cemented his place in history, one particular race in 1993 remains the stuff of legend.

The European Grand Prix at Donnington was a wet and miserable affair, the kind of conditions that terrify even seasoned pros. On the opening lap, Senna started fourth but unleashed an assault so breathtaking that it is still considered the greatest opening lap in Formula 1 history.

He passed four cars in less than a minute, carving through Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill, Alain Prost and Karl Wendlinger with a mixture of raw instinct and razor-thin margins.

That day, Senna didn’t just win a race. He showcased how intuition and daring can make miracles. It was calculated madness, a reminder that in motorsport, sometimes instinct can be worth more than strategy.

Brawn GP – The miracle of 2009

In modern motorsport, where billions back the top teams, the story of Brawn GP feels almost mythical. When Honda suddenly withdrew from Formula 1 in late 2008, the team’s staff faced unemployment. Enter Ross Brawn, who led a management buyout, rebranded the team and showed up at the first race with a car few took seriously.

Then came the shock. The BGP 001 was a rocket, aided by a controversial “double diffuser” that rival teams had overlooked. Suddenly, this supposed underfunded outfit was leading the championship.

Against all expectations, and despite limited resources, Jenson Button won six of the first seven races, riding the wave of risk that Ross Brawn had staked everything on. By the season’s end, Brawn GP had claimed both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships.

It was a Cinderella story for modern racing. proof that even in an era of corporate giants, daring innovation can still tilt the odds.

Fernando Alonso – Valencia’s masterstroke in 2012

By 2012, many thought Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari career was winding down. The car was not competitive enough to win consistently, and the championship looked out of reach. Then came the European Grand Prix at Valencia.

Starting from 11^th on the grid, Alonso needed something extraordinary. Through aggressive overtakes, perfect timing during safety cars and sheer determination, he fought his way to the front in front of his home crowd. Tears streamed down his face on the podium as the Spanish fans roared.

It wasn’t a championship win, but it was the ultimate underdog performance. Alonso had risked everything in a car that shouldn’t have been on the podium, let alone first place.

Risk, reward and the allure of the unexpected

What unites these stories is not just victory, but the willingness to embrace risk when others hesitated. Motorsport has always thrived on its unpredictability (i.e. a sudden rain shower, a mechanical gamble a daring strategy). For fans, that’s part of the allure: knowing that the odds are never fully set in stone.

It is the same thrill that draws people to games of chance. The spin of online slots, like the lap of a race, is a dance between precision and unpredictability. Sometimes the favourites win. Sometimes the outsiders change history. But in both arenas, it’s the uncertainty that keeps people coming back for more.

Why these stories still matter…

In an era where teams increasingly rely on data simulations and risk-averse strategies, these underdog tales remind us why fans fell in love with motorsport in the first place. They celebrate human daring, ingenuity and the courage to chase glory against improbable odds.

From Hunt’s chaotic championship to Brawn GP’s impossible fairytale, the legends of risk-taking endure because they capture something universal: the idea that even in the most controlled environments, fortune still favours the brave.

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