Paddock Briefing: Patrick-Button TV flashpoint, Ferrari’s 2026 hush-hush engine, Red Bull shut door on Dunne, Hamilton to skip Mexico FP1, McLaren plays the long game
A viral TV moment, a whisper from Maranello, and a title fight that keeps twisting. Here’s the midweek reset after Austin.
Patrick-Button moment goes viral after COTA
Sky F1’s post-race wrap in Austin coughed up an awkward little gem when Jenson Button flashed a thin grin at the camera as Danica Patrick dissected the clash between Williams’ Carlos Sainz and Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Patrick suggested Sainz picked the wrong spot to pounce; Button’s look did the rounds online within minutes.
It’s classic paddock theatre: two sharp ex-racers reading the same snapshot differently. Sainz, now in Williams blue in 2025, has hardly been shy in wheel-to-wheel fights this season, and Antonelli’s racecraft has been a storyline of its own as he settles into Mercedes. Opinions will keep flowing, but the clip reminded everyone that TV chemistry can light up social media as quickly as any on-track tussle.
Ferrari’s ‘revolutionary’ 2026 engine whispers
File this under big if true: reports suggest Ferrari are deep into a “top-secret” intake concept for their 2026 power unit, with some in Italy throwing around the word “revolutionary.” The 2026 reset is no small paint job—50% electrical power, fully sustainable fuels, and active aero all arrive at once—so anyone brave enough to zag on engine architecture could feast… or fall flat.
Ferrari aren’t commenting, naturally. But you don’t need inside access to see why they’d swing hard. A smart integration of the MGU-K’s beefed-up role with a hot-ticket intake could unlock efficiency and deployment wins. Of course, the margins will be brutal and reliability will be king. If Maranello really are reaching for a step-change, it’ll shape the next regulation cycle as much as any wind-tunnel breakthrough.
No Red Bull lifeline for Alex Dunne in 2026
Helmut Marko has poured cold water on talk of Alex Dunne joining Red Bull’s F1 roster for 2026, saying the Irishman is “not an option” for either the senior team or Racing Bulls. Dunne recently split from McLaren and has been canvassing opportunities with the 2026 rules reset dangling like a fresh start for half the grid.
But Red Bull’s ladder is crammed and the seats at the sharp end rarely open without a storm. With Max Verstappen anchoring the project and the sister team’s pipeline jam-packed, Dunne will need another route if he’s to turn the corner from promise to promotion.
Hamilton to sit out Mexico FP1, Fuoco gets the nod
Ferrari have confirmed Lewis Hamilton will step aside for FP1 at the Mexican Grand Prix, with long-time simulator and endurance star Antonio Fuoco taking the SF-25 out for a spin at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. It’s a smart venue to gather correlation data—high altitude, tricky turbo behaviour—and a useful live rep for a driver who does a mountain of work back at base.
Hamilton will be back in for FP2 and the rest of the weekend. With Ferrari juggling a tight development race and the usual Mexico set-up compromises, an extra set of trusted hands on Friday makes a lot of sense.
McLaren won’t pick favourites—unless the maths demands it
Andrea Stella’s stance is clear: McLaren won’t force a number one unless the title arithmetic leaves them no choice. Oscar Piastri leads that equation right now with Lando Norris right on his exhaust, while Max Verstappen’s recent run has dragged Red Bull back into the conversation. The temptation to firm up team orders is obvious; the caution, justified.
The orange camp’s strength this season has been operational sharpness and two drivers extracting the same car at terrifyingly similar levels. Skew that too early and you risk giving up strategic flexibility and intra-garage momentum. If and when the championship spreadsheet says there’s only one horse to back, McLaren will act. Until then, they’re dancing with both.
What to watch next
– Ferrari’s engine murmur becomes a roar? Don’t expect clarity until well into 2025, but watch how openly rivals talk about their own 2026 concepts—sometimes what they don’t say tells you plenty about what they’ve heard.
– Dunne’s next move: with Red Bull out, the grid narrows. He’ll need either a manufacturer-aligned programme or a team willing to bet on upside during the 2026 reset.
– Mexico upgrades and altitude tricks: Ferrari’s FP1 plan hints at a busy data-gathering Friday. Others will do the same; expect lots of back-to-back testing and straight-line correlation runs.
One last thought on that Sky desk moment: it’s easy to file it under awkward TV, but it’s also a snapshot of what makes this season compelling—strong characters, tight title pressure, and no consensus on how to win a fight. More, please.
