Justin Brayton and Adam Cianciarulo had some interesting things to say about the effect Haiden Deegan’s long term mechanic, Brent Duffe, may have now that it has been revealed he will be going to the Cadillac F1 team for 2027 and will no longer be by Deegan’s side or in the YouTube videos!
Will Deegan, who has only had Brent as his mechanic in his professional career, be able to find another mechanic that’s fits his program and his high profile as well as Duffe?
Brayton said of his former mechanic: “And then the importance for Haiden, that’s really been his only professional mechanic that knows him so well, knows his lingo. Obviously, the Deegans are very forthcoming. They’re out there all the time on YouTube and cameras around. And Duffe loves that. Duffe is into it. He’s a gamer for all that. So the fit’s perfect. I mean, it’s been perfect from day one. But Duffe’s moving on. He’s going to work for an F1 team.”
Cianciarulo said: “It might be difficult to find somebody who wants to do all that stuff. The YouTube stuff and just everything that comes from working with Haiden Deegan. It’s unbelievably important to have a mechanic you trust and just a mechanic that knows you. A good rider mechanic combo. That mechanic is helping the rider on a personal level get the most out of himself.
“So it’s such a specific situation, the way Haiden’s program is run. And so I imagine there’s not a massive list of guys that, of course, Haiden’s going to win a lot. There’s going to be a lot of bonus money involved. So that’s a perk. But I think it might be difficult to find mechanic that wants to be that out there, right? Be that public.”
It will be interesting to see who steps into the role and if they can as well with Deegan as Brent Duffe has to help Deegan maximise his potential.
