In late May, Alex Palou was receiving plenty of attention within the Formula 1 paddock as a result of his Indy 500 victory. In that case, the spotlight was an appreciation of his achievements, as he wasn’t in contention for one of the Cadillac seats.
Those rides have now officially gone the way of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, but strangely, there have been more questions about Palou potentially making the move to F1 since then, following a rumor that Red Bull had shown an interest in his services.
RACER understands there is a significant buy-out clause in Palou’s Ganassi contract, and was told by his manager that he had not spoken to anyone at Red Bull. Palou’s current boss Chip Ganassi was equally dismissive when he addressed the speculation this week.
“I read that (story) myself,” Ganassi said. “There was nobody quoted in there. I talk to Palou. Palou said he’s never talked to anybody, doesn’t know anything about it. I talked to his management. They know nothing about it. I know nothing about it.I think it’s a clickbait story. Somebody needs to brush up their investigative journalism.
“Look, let me say this. Everybody wants a driver that everybody else wants to have. That means you have something that’s really valuable. Do I think Formula 1’s the biggest threat? You know what I think the biggest threat is, the biggest threat is ourselves, each of us. Each of us is our biggest threat.
“I work to create the best possible environment for our people. It’s the same for our drivers. I work to give them the best possible environment. That’s all I know how to do. It seems to be working. Like I said, Alex had an opportunity to leave and he didn’t. I don’t know what else to tell you. I take him at his word when he says he likes it here and he’s having a great time.”
When asked about the links from the F1 side, a Red Bull team spokesperson said there was “no truth at all” in them, but Spanish media were particularly keen to ask about Palou’s potential ability at a more established team, rather than a new start-up.
“It is a challenge for sure,” Fernando Alonso said. “There are well-established drivers and teams here and circuits and these kind of things, but he has the talent and he has the level to adapt very quickly.
“Ultimately, it will depend on which car you have. If you are at the back of the grid, it seems that you are not adapting to the category and you are struggling with certain things and you make more mistakes because you try to overcome those, you overdrive sometimes. And if you are in a fast car, everything is a little bit easier.
“I don’t know. I think for sure he is a Formula 1-level (driver) and if he has the chance, I will be very happy for him.”
After Palou’s Indy 500 success, Carlos Sainz said he was intrigued to see how Palou would fare in F1 machinery. But amid the latest mentions of the four-time IndyCar champion’s name, Sainz was more cautious about judging how he would perform at Red Bull.
“I can only say what I see in the car is that he’s doing an incredible job,” Sainz said. “Then F1 is a completely different monster, both as a driver as a car. But as a formula (it) is very different from anything else, so it’s impossible to predict how good he would be in Formula 1.
“I can only say that in the car he’s just doing incredible things. He must be doing things really, really well to dominate the way he’s dominating in such a competitive category.”
Despite both Alonso and Sainz warning of the challenge of switching categories, there was an admission from the latter that the change regulations in 2026 offer an opportunity for a more level playing field for an IndyCar driver.
“It’s definitely better to come when it’s a reset for everyone,” Sainz added. “It’s a good time to join the field because you’ve seen it this year how tough it’s been for teammates who have already been in F1, when you have a new car or a new team how difficult it is to adapt.
