F1 paddock notebook: Horner-Alpine whispers, Aston plays it cool on Tsunoda, Clarkson’s message to Hamilton, Palou in court, Montezemolo stirs the pot
The sport barely took a breath on Tuesday before the rumor mill cranked up again. Here’s what’s moving.
Horner-to-Alpine gathers another layer
Giancarlo Fisichella has thrown a fresh log on the fire, calling a potential Alpine management tandem of Christian Horner and Flavio Briatore “a good compromise.” It’s the latest twist in the Horner saga after the long-time Red Bull boss severed ties with Milton Keynes in July following more than two decades at the helm. Reports last week suggested Horner reached a nine-figure settlement to end his Red Bull chapter, clearing a path back to the pit wall in 2026 if he wants it.
Briatore is already a familiar operator in Enstone’s orbit, and Fisichella—who knows that camp as well as anyone—clearly sees value in a split-brain setup: Briatore’s political sharp elbows paired with Horner’s race-team grind. Whether Alpine would actually sign up for that combustible cocktail is a different question. Still, with 2026 regulations looming, the team has to decide what kind of leadership it wants to be.
Aston Martin cools Tsunoda chatter
Aston Martin, meanwhile, is keeping its powder dry. With Felipe Drugovich heading to Formula E for 2025/26, the Silverstone squad was asked about whispers linking Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda to a reserve role from 2026, when Honda becomes Aston’s power unit partner. The response: an announcement on the full 2026 driver roster will come “in due course.”
That’s a classic non-denial denial. Tsunoda has deep ties to Honda, and the timing writes half the story for you. But 2026 is a moving target for everyone—the engine regs change, driver markets reset, and reserve roles can be strategic chess pieces as much as paddock parking passes. Aston’s made no commitments in public. Yet.
Clarkson reaches out to Hamilton after Roscoe’s passing
Away from the spreadsheets and rumor boards, a rare human moment. Jeremy Clarkson—often one of Lewis Hamilton’s loudest critics—offered condolences after Hamilton shared the heartbreaking news that his dog Roscoe had died at 12 following pneumonia complications.
Hamilton, in his first season at Ferrari in 2025, has never hidden how much Roscoe meant to him. It’s not often you see detente in the F1 discourse, but when it happens over something like this, it reminds you there are people under the helmets, behind the microphones, and firing off the hot takes.
McLaren vs Palou hits the courtroom
Over in London, McLaren’s legal action against Alex Palou officially got underway. McLaren is seeking around $20 million in damages, claiming Palou reneged on a signed deal. Palou’s been busy rewriting IndyCar history books—four titles in five years and the 2025 Indianapolis 500—so the stakes aren’t small. Neither are the principles involved.
The case resonates beyond IndyCar or F1. Teams want certainty; drivers want leverage. Contracts bridge that gap… until they don’t. Whatever emerges from this courtroom will echo through driver negotiations on both sides of the Atlantic.
Montezemolo can’t resist a Ferrari nudge
Luca di Montezemolo has never been shy about Ferrari, even in retirement, and he lobbed a pointed observation into the current narrative: Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc made “a very good couple,” and he’s “clear in [his] mind who to put in different positions” were he back in charge.
Read between the lines and it’s a gentle dig at Ferrari’s reshaped line-up with Hamilton alongside Leclerc in 2025. Sainz’s stock hasn’t exactly dipped—far from it—and Montezemolo’s comments reflect a growing chorus nostalgic for the Sainz/Leclerc balance that delivered steadiness through turbulent years. Whether you buy the subtext or not, Ferrari has bet big on star power and experience. The bill for that decision will be paid in results.
Big picture
If there’s a theme to this week, it’s alignment ahead of 2026. Alpine weighing a leadership reboot. Aston Martin calibrating its Honda-era ecosystem. McLaren defending its talent pipeline through the courts. Ferrari managing expectations with a blockbuster pairing. And amid it all, the sport still finds room for a moment of grace over a driver’s loss.
It’s F1 in 2025: sharp elbows, sharper deadlines, and a lot of people trying to be perfectly placed when the next era begins.
