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Alex Palou is the flavor of the month by the looks of it as the driver has recanted on the McLaren contract for the 2024 season. The runaway championship leader in IndyCar this season and almost a lock for the title, Palou seems to be the driver that has garnered a lot of interest lately.
The Spaniard, whose experience in F1 is limited to a one-off FP1 experience last season has been a driver that is seemingly catching a lot of attention of the paddock.
So much so that it almost makes one think whether we are looking at a repeat of what happened to Nyck de Vries last season.
The hype around Alex Palou
Alex Palou looks well set to win his second IndyCar title in three years. He has been truly remarkable in the series ever since he joined a few years back. The success has been the reason why Palou was one of the many drivers that McLaren courted last season as a potential replacement for Daniel Ricciardo.
The seat did not materialize last season but this year with a second title in IndyCar now almost a formality, Palou has garnered a lot of interest. He has been linked to the likes of Williams, Haas, and some reports have even mentioned AlphaTauri as well.
It's safe to say that the silly season is alive and kicking and it is centered around Palou.
Similarities with Nyck de Vries
Like it or not, there are a few similarities between Palou and what happened to Nyck de Vries last season.
After an impressive F1 debut in Monza for Williams, de Vries had multiple suitors. There was interest from Alpine, Williams, and AlphaTauri for the Dutch driver and ultimately he went to the Red Bull sister team.
The issue with Nyck de Vries was that the hype was just overblown. The Dutch driver came into F1 as the former F2 and Formula E champion. He was expected to at least be competitive against Yuki Tsunoda.
What happened, however, was well documented and de Vries got the boot within six races.
What does the real picture look like?
The issue with the hype around Nyck de Vries was the fact that it was misplaced. He did win the title in Formula 2 but it was against a driver named Nicholas Latifi. He did win the Formula E title but the series is hilariously unpredictable.
When we talk about Alex Palou, is it fair to say that he is getting courted by the F1 with the same caveat? Many rate him very highly for the kind of success that he's achieved in IndyCar and want to give him a shot with the expectations that he might not be able to fulfill.
Is Palou good enough to be in F1? Yes, he is. Is he the next big talent just like Juan Pablo Montoya or Jacques Villeneuve was when they made the switch from IndyCar to F1? It might be hard to say definitely that this will happen. One of the major reasons behind this has to be gleaned from Palou's racing career itself.
In his junior career, he has raced against some of the current F1 drivers like Esteban Ocon, and Charles Leclerc in F3. With massive car discrepancy playing a role, Palou was not really competitive against those two. Even if we talk about his run in IndyCar, even though there is no denying that it is a spec car series, Chip Gannasi Racing is arguably the best team in the series.
To further explain how good the team is, in the 2023 standings, Alex Palou leads the standings from Scott Dixon, his teammate while Marcus Ericcson the third Gannasi driver is 6th in the championship.
The inherent advantage is undeniable that Palou has in the series especially if we consider the fact that Ericcson was dumped from F1 very early in his career while Scott Dixon is 43 years of age.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it's safe to say that yes the reigning IndyCar champion should be on the F1 grid. Having said that, the kind of hype around Alex Palou almost gives off the same vibes as what happened to Nyck de Vries.
For the Spaniard's sake, let's hope he does not suffer the same fate as de Vries because that certainly makes it hard for any driver to bounce back.
