If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.
Orville Peck paid tribute to Dolly Parton over the weekend during a performance at the Formula 1 Paddock Bar
at the 2026 U.S. Grand Prix in Austin.
The singer played before an intimate crowd of 300 or so inside Austin’s iconic honky-tonk venue Sagebrush, which was converted into The Paddock Bar for three nights of music and comedy over F1 weekend.
Peck played on Friday night, taking the stage shortly after 10 p.m. to perform songs from his new album, Mule, along with fan favorites from previous albums. Midway through his set, he broke out into a rendition of Parton’s “I Will Always Love You,” delivering a moving arrangement accompanied only by acoustic guitar.
This isn’t the first time Peck has paid tribute to Parton — the singer performed an impromptu snippet of “I Will Always Love You” during an event in London on the night the country legend died, telling the audience that, “She really stood for kindness and I think that’s something that is really lacking in the world these days.”
Country singer-songwriter Kameron Marlowe opened for Peck at The Paddock Bar on Friday, while British comedian Jack Whitehall headlined a special comedy set on Saturday night, to close out the Sagebrush takeover. Each night also featured live music from local acts along with two-step lessons and line dancing as fans grooved to hits from George Strait to Shania Twain.
Peck’s set in Austin marked the latest crossover between Formula 1 and the worlds of music and entertainment, which are increasingly colliding. To wit: guests at The Paddock Bar included Damson Idris, star of F1 The Movie, while celebs like Gordon Ramsay, Charles Melton (a guest of Audi F1), and JoJo (with the Cadillac Formula 1 team) were all spotted at the actual paddock on the track. The Summer I Turned Pretty star Gavin Casalegno, meantime, attended the race as a guest of TAG Heuer (wearing a TAG Heuer Formula 1 Date watch, natch), while Maroon 5, Alesso, and Post Malone were among the performers playing post-race sets at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
This year’s race also marked the debut of House 44 in Austin, the pop-up hospitality experience created by Lewis Hamilton in collaboration with Soho House and named after the Ferrari driver’s racing number. House 44 took over a new building overlooking Turn 1 of the COTA track that was accessible via F1-branded gondolas, which also offered aerial views of the race down below.
Kimi Antonelli won this year’s U.S. Grand Prix, receiving a Longhorn cattle-inspired trophy presented in a Louis Vuitton Trophy Trunk (at just 20 years old, the young Italian isn’t legally allowed to drink in the U.S., so officials had him pop open a bottle of sparkling rose water instead of the customary champagne on the podium).
Antonelli’s victory puts him one step closer towards claiming his maiden Drivers Championship title. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished in second in Austin, with Red Bull star Max Verstappen rounding out the podium. Antonelli, meantime, is just two points away from becoming World Champion, and he’ll surely be able to do in Mexico City this weekend with a finish of ninth or higher.
All Formula 1 races are airing live in the U.S. on Apple TV this year. You can get a free trial here to livestream F1 Mexico online free.
As for The Paddock Bar, a press release says the activation reflects “Formula 1’s growing presence across music, community, and culture,” while finding ways to reflect the unique atmosphere and hallmarks of each race city. In Austin, that meant welcoming guests to Sagebrush, which has hosted musicians for more than 70 years behind its saloon doors and light-up facade.
OFFICIAL MERCH
Cadillac F1 Team Tommy Hilfiger Austin Grand Prix Hat
You can shop official F1 Austin merch online now at Fanatics.com.
As an F1 release explains, “From two-step to stand-up, The Paddock Bar showed that Formula 1 is no longer just a race weekend, it’s a cultural moment that reaches well beyond the circuit.”
Click here to read the full article.
