Paddock Notes: Briatore tips a Hamilton reset at Ferrari, McLaren–Palou gets messy, Williams keeps the door ajar, Bottas bridges to Cadillac, and Brundle joins the dots at Mercedes
Singapore’s night race always coaxes out a few spicy side stories, and this week’s batch didn’t disappoint. Here’s what’s buzzing around the paddock as the lights go out and the rumors run hot.
Briatore bets big on Hamilton’s Ferrari year two
Flavio Briatore has never been a man for half-measures, and he’s not starting now. The Alpine powerbroker believes Lewis Hamilton’s tricky first season in red will look very different the second time around, predicting that “next year, everything will change” for the seven-time champion at Ferrari.
Context matters. Hamilton’s 2025 switch to Maranello was always going to bring teething pains — new car language, new processes, new politics — and the early misfires have been visible. But Ferrari’s capacity to regroup year-to-year is real, and Hamilton’s history of turning slow-burn relationships into title runs is the stuff of legend. If Ferrari give him a front-end he trusts and a development arc he believes in, Briatore’s stance won’t look so bold. If not, it’ll sound like more paddock poetry. Either way, it’s the most intriguing subplot on the grid: Hamilton in red, Year 2.
McLaren v Alex Palou: courtroom drama goes full send
Over in the civil courts, McLaren’s legal action against IndyCar champion Alex Palou has kicked up another gear. McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown took the stand as part of the team’s pursuit of damages over a collapsed deal, with accusations surfacing around deleted WhatsApp messages and the usual digital paper trail intrigue that follows modern contract rows.
The number attached to the claim — $20.7 million — is attention-grabbing, but the broader picture is the point: F1 teams are increasingly treating driver market commitments with the same hard edge as sponsor contracts. Palou’s talent isn’t in question; where he’s allowed to deploy it is now the subject of lawyers rather than lap charts. Don’t expect a quick resolution, and do expect a few more leaked texts before anyone shakes hands.
Williams won’t slam the door on Christian Horner
James Vowles has Williams pointed in the right direction, but he’s not pretending the blueprint is set in stone. Asked about the possibility of future conversations with former Red Bull boss Christian Horner, Vowles didn’t reach for the usual corporate firewall. Instead: there’s “no point closing the door” on any talks that might make the team stronger.
To be clear, there’s no suggestion of active negotiations, and Williams are publicly content with their structure. But Vowles’ answer reads like what it is — a team determined to stay opportunistic. In a sport where the competitive windows are short and the rebuilds long, keeping every option on the table is not a bad policy.
Bottas’ bridge year: Mercedes cooperation, Cadillac on the horizon
Valtteri Bottas has been quietly stitching together his next chapter. The Finn’s ties with Mercedes remain constructive as he plots a move to the Cadillac F1 project, with cooperation between his current support role and his future employer helping smooth the transition.
Bottas’ value to a new outfit is obvious: calm feedback, a ruthless feel for car behavior, and the sort of development discipline that doesn’t grab headlines but does move lap time. The interest here is less about the headline transfer and more about the method — established teams aiding a new entrant’s runway. When that cross-pollination works, everyone stands to gain: better-prepared teams, higher baseline performance, fewer lost seasons.
Brundle’s theory on Mercedes: announce once, answer once
Martin Brundle reckons Mercedes are holding their 2026 driver news until they can roll it out as a neat package: confirm one, confirm the other, and avoid a week-long Q&A about George Russell’s future. It’s the sort of common-sense media management that makes perfect sense when you’ve stood in the pen and answered the same question 15 times before lunch.
Mercedes, of course, won’t be rushed — not with a major rules reset looming in 2026 and a junior star already in the system. But there’s a tactical logic to Brundle’s view. Announce the full picture, shape the narrative, move on to the car.
Big picture
Strip it back, and the common thread through all five stories is control. Hamilton and Ferrari trying to wrestle control of their ceiling. McLaren and Palou fighting for control of a contract. Williams controlling their options. Bottas helping an incoming team control its learning curve. Mercedes looking to control a news cycle that can easily run away from you at a moment’s notice.
We’re deep into the phase of the season where the headlines don’t always match the lap times, but the moves made now shape what we’ll be watching a year from today. And if Briatore’s right, the man in scarlet might be the one changing the mood music.
