IndyCar’s Palou shouldn’t be on Crimson Bull’s radar—should not he be?

Rumours inserting IndyCar champion Alex Palou on Crimson Bull’s radar for 2026 seem like vast of the mark, however should not a number of F1 groups be taking a more in-depth have a look at the US sequence’ dominator?

With readability over the short-term Crimson Bull way forward for world champion Max Verstappen, which is able to clear any hurdles for brand new Mercedes offers for George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the tip of that switch cleaning soap has taken many of the pleasure out what’s left of F1’s 2026 foolish season.

It actually simply leaves query marks over the vacant Alpine seat alongside Pierre Gasly, which continues to be Franco Colapinto’s to earn proper now, and no matter choice Crimson Bull will make over its four-seat constellation throughout the 2 groups it owns.

The cursed seat alongside Verstappen is one other berth that’s ready for somebody to assert it, and ever since Daniel Ricciardo departed for Renault no one has been ready to take action, with 2026 Cadillac returnee Sergio Perez having given it the perfect go for 4 seasons, which yielded 5 wins however resulted in despair.

Within the margins of Perez securing a return to the grid subsequent 12 months, one hearsay floated by the Indianapolis Star was that officers at Crimson Bull have expressed curiosity in inserting reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou within the seat at present occupied by Yuki Tsunoda for 2026. The report referenced sources with data of these conversations, stopping wanting indicating in the event that they got here from inside Crimson Bull itself.

When approached by Motorsport.com, first-hand sources inside the Crimson Bull camp responded to the notion of entertaining a transfer for Palou with shock and bemusement.

In a while, Crimson Bull’s advisor Helmut Marko, who performs a giant position in its driver choice, informed Austria’s Kleine Zeitung on the file that the story is “not true”. Palou himself and his group boss Chip Ganassi additionally debunked the concept.

The almost definitely avenue for Crimson Bull stays a selection between maintaining Tsunoda and selling Isack Hadjar from Racing Bulls, though Liam Lawson has additionally began firing on all cylinders in current races to spice up his long-term profession prospects. Staff principal Laurent Mekies is thought to be a giant supporter of Tsunoda after working carefully with the Japanese driver on the sister group, far more so than outgoing Christian Horner.

That does not imply Tsunoda has a leg up on the spectacular Hadjar, however he’s going to get a good likelihood till the tip of the season to stake his declare, with the understanding that the 2025 automotive is extraordinarily tough to drive and Tsunoda has been behind on upgrades as a rule in comparison with Verstappen.

Given the comparatively lack of grand prix expertise of all concerned, it maybe would not be such a foul factor for the trio to remain put for one more 12 months. But when it goes that route Crimson Bull can even have to determine what it’s going to do with its reserve driver Arvid Lindblad, who’s earmarked for an F1 future with the organisation however would depend upon one of many incumbent drivers being moved on.

The IndyCar query

Alex Palou prepares to drive friends on the Sizzling Laps expertise

Photograph by: Michael Potts / Motorsport Photographs

Whereas the Palou hearsay has been firmly shot down by all events, it does beg the query; why is not an F1 group eager on somebody just like the Spaniard?

A person who has discovered a option to dominate what’s near a spec sequence by claiming 4 titles in 5 years, together with the uncommon feat of successful the Indy 500 and the general Astor Cup in the identical 12 months. And a driver who has are available at Ganassi in his sophomore season and had the measure of Scott Dixon, a seven-time champion thought of one of many all-time greats.

As just lately as 2022, Crimson Bull was eager on giving his IndyCar colleague Colton Herta a go at its sister group, with the transfer collapsing over a scarcity of superlicence factors that’s nonetheless holding the Californian again now. For all of Herta’s deserves as a daily frontrunner and IndyCar’s youngest-ever race winner – Palou is undeniably in a distinct league.

The shortage of curiosity in Europe within the likes of Palou might be seen as a scarcity of respect to IndyCar as a complete, to which there’s some grain of reality because the F1 bubble is tough to pierce for outsiders not coming via its personal junior ladder.

Others views can be found, together with the one which F1 is such a selected self-discipline and such a threat averse atmosphere that groups favor coping with identified portions as they stack their growth packages with up and coming drivers continually evaluated via simulator working, feeder sequence competitors and testing of older automobiles.

Alex Palou examined for McLaren’s F1 group in 2023, however backtracked on becoming a member of its IndyCar squad

Photograph by: McLaren

In Crimson Bull’s particular case, it’s in a stronger place now than it was when Herta popped up on the radar, with the likes of Hadjar and Lindblad on a trajectory all the best way to the highest, and its lengthy working philosophy is to recruit from inside the place attainable.

As if to show that time, American enlargement group Cadillac introduced its inaugural F1 driver line-up earlier this week and went for confirmed expertise in Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez fairly than an out of doors wildcard. That too drew criticism from followers lamenting the shortage of inspiration and US participation, however few observers will argue that the TWG Motorsports run group – a stablemate of IndyCar’s Andretti International – has finished something aside from the fitting factor.

In F1 there was no scarcity of homegrown kids coming via both with the likes of Hadjar, Kimi Antonelli, Gabriel Bortoleto and Oliver Bearman, which is additional vindication that F1’s personal growth pipeline is strong and that groups merely aren’t being compelled to look throughout the pond.

Juan Pablo Montoya, McLaren MP4-20 Mercedes, Fernando Alonso, Renault R25

Photograph by: Motorsport Photographs

Verstappen himself, who crossed paths with Palou in Europe’s karting scene and confirmed nice respect for the Barcelona native’s achievements, additionally identified it’s so laborious for F1 groups to guage to which diploma success in IndyCar would translate one to at least one. Prior to now Williams’ experiments with Jacques Villeneuve and Juan Pablo Montoya proved to be a smash hit. Others, not a lot.

“It is all the time so tough to say,” the Dutchman mentioned. “I do know Alex already from go-karting occasions, and I believe what he’s attaining in IndyCar is unbelievable. It is so spectacular to see, nevertheless it’s inconceivable to know the way individuals will do in F1 and it’s the identical query the opposite approach spherical. How would you do in IndyCar? You don’t have any thought. I’m simply so comfortable to see doing so effectively in IndyCar and the best way he is been dominating.”

“He had a possibility to go away and he determined to remain”

Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing

Photograph by: Geoff Miller / Lumen by way of Getty Photographs

However F1’s loss is IndyCar’s acquire because the sequence rebuilds momentum below a landmark TV take care of Fox and will use all of the star energy it might probably get its palms on. And after the dream of an F1 seat satisfied Palou to attempt to pressure his approach out of Ganassi and into McLaren – which he since backtracked on, the following lawsuit with McLaren continues to be ongoing – Palou’s curiosity within the so-called pinnacle of motor racing seems to have cooled significantly.

Having added an elusive Indy 500 ring to his string of titles, one among his eight wins in a crushingly dominant 2025 marketing campaign, you would argue Palou has accomplished IndyCar, and attempting to overcome F1 is the most important problem left within the 28-year-old’s profession.

However Palou, who has began a household and is settled within the US, has apparently realised the grass is not all the time greener on the opposite aspect, echoing feedback made beforehand by one among IndyCar’s different large stars Josef Newgarden. For Palou, life appears fairly good as IndyCar’s king of the hill, boasting a aggressive trip and pay verify and all of the trimmings that include it, whereas a transfer to Crimson Bull or another F1 group may find yourself in an uncompetitive catastrophe past his personal management.

Alex Palou with Chip Ganassi after successful the 2025 Indy 500

Photograph by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Photographs by way of Getty Photographs

With each sip of IndyCar success, the attract of F1 as a complete fades and the variety of interesting seats dwindles, narrowing all the best way right down to the very prime squads that will by no means think about such a chance to start with.

“F1 shouldn’t be calling me anymore,” Palou informed IndyCar reporters in Might. “I do not suppose they’re having as a lot enjoyable as I am having right here. I do not see individuals celebrating with their wives and their children as a lot as we do. I do not see them hanging within the bus lot or having dinner with their mechanics. I solely get pleasure from driving and having enjoyable and being with my individuals, so I believe F1 is the overall reverse.”
 
His boss was of an identical view. “I do not suppose the draw there may be what it was once we had been rising up. There are two or three [good] seats there, and outdoors of that — I would not wish to see him go and be the quantity two driver wherever. I do not know the way you go from successful the most important race on the earth [the Indy 500] to at least one that is not.

“He had a possibility to go away [to McLaren in 2023] and he determined to remain.”