IndyCar's Palou shouldn't be on Purple Bull's radar—should not he be?

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

With readability over the short-term Purple Bull way forward for world champion Max Verstappen, which is able to clear any hurdles for brand spanking 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 remains to be Franco Colapinto’s to earn proper now, and no matter resolution Purple Bull will make over its four-seat constellation throughout the 2 groups it owns.

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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 in a position to take action, with 2026 Cadillac returnee Sergio Perez having given it the most effective go for 4 seasons, which yielded 5 wins however led to 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 Purple Bull have expressed curiosity in inserting reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou within the seat at the moment occupied by Yuki Tsunoda for 2026. The report referenced sources with data of these conversations, stopping in need of indicating in the event that they got here from inside Purple Bull itself.

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

In a while, Purple Bull’s advisor Helmut Marko, who performs a giant function in its driver choice, instructed Austria’s Kleine Zeitung that the story is “not true”, earlier than happening the report to Motorsport.com over the Dutch Grand Prix. Requested if there’s any curiosity in Palou in any respect, he replied: “No, no. Now we have our drivers. He isn’t on our radar, no.”

Palou himself and his workforce boss Chip Ganassi additionally debunked the thought.

Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar stay the more than likely choices to companion Max Verstappen in 2026.

Photograph by: Purple Bull Content material Pool

The more than likely avenue for Purple Bull stays a selection between conserving 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. Crew principal Laurent Mekies is understood to be a giant supporter of Tsunoda after working intently with the Japanese driver on the sister workforce, rather 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 an additional 12 months. But when it goes that route Purple Bull will even have to determine what it is going to do with its reserve driver Arvid Lindblad, who’s earmarked for an F1 future with the organisation however would rely upon one of many incumbent drivers being moved on.

The IndyCar query
Alex Palou prepares to drive guests on the Hot Laps experience

Alex Palou prepares to drive company on the Sizzling Laps expertise

Photograph by: Michael Potts / Motorsport Photos

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

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

As lately as 2022, Purple Bull was eager on giving his IndyCar colleague Colton Herta a go at its sister workforce, with the transfer collapsing over an absence of superlicence factors that’s nonetheless holding the Californian again now. For all of Herta’s deserves as an everyday 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 could be seen as an absence of respect to IndyCar as an entire, to which there’s some grain of fact because the F1 bubble is tough to pierce for outsiders not coming by way of its personal junior ladder.

Others views can be found, together with the one which F1 is such a selected self-discipline and such a danger averse surroundings that groups want coping with recognized portions as they stack their improvement packages with up and coming drivers continuously evaluated by way of simulator working, feeder collection competitors and testing of older vehicles.

Alex Palou tested for McLaren's F1 team in 2023, but backtracked on joining its IndyCar squad

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

Photograph by: McLaren

In Purple 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 way in which to the highest, and its lengthy working philosophy is to recruit from inside the place doable.

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

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

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

Photograph by: Motorsport Photos

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 evaluate to which diploma success in IndyCar would translate one to 1. 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 stated. “I do know Alex already from go-karting instances, and I believe what he’s reaching in IndyCar is unbelievable. It is so spectacular to see, however it’s inconceivable to understand how individuals will do in F1 and it’s the identical query the opposite method spherical. How would you do in IndyCar? You don’t have any thought. I’m simply so completely satisfied to see doing so properly in IndyCar and the way in which he is been dominating.”

“He had a chance to depart and he determined to remain”
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing

Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing

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

However F1’s loss is IndyCar’s achieve because the collection rebuilds momentum underneath a landmark TV cope with Fox and will use all of the star energy it could get its fingers on. And after the dream of an F1 seat satisfied Palou to try to pressure his method out of Ganassi and into McLaren – which he since backtracked on, the following lawsuit with McLaren remains 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 in all his eight wins in a crushingly dominant 2025 marketing campaign, you may argue Palou has accomplished IndyCar, and making an attempt to beat 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 in all IndyCar’s different large stars Josef Newgarden. For Palou, life appears fairly good as IndyCar’s king of the hill, boasting a aggressive experience and pay test and all of the trimmings that include it, whereas a transfer to Purple Bull or another F1 workforce may find yourself in an uncompetitive catastrophe past his personal management.

Alex Palou with Chip Ganassi after winning the 2025 Indy 500

Alex Palou with Chip Ganassi after profitable the 2025 Indy 500

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

With each sip of IndyCar success, the attract of F1 as an entire fades and the variety of interesting seats dwindles, narrowing all the way in which right down to the very prime squads that might by no means take into account such a raffle to start with.

“F1 shouldn’t be calling me anymore,” Palou instructed IndyCar reporters in Might. “I do not assume 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 entire reverse.” His boss was of an identical view. “I do not assume the draw there’s what it was once once we have been rising up. There are two or three [good] seats there, and out of doors of that — I would not need to see him go and be the quantity two driver anyplace. I do not understand how you go from profitable the most important race on the earth [the Indy 500] to 1 that is not.

“He had a chance to depart [to McLaren in 2023] and he determined to remain.”

Photographs from Dutch GP – Thursday

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari