Indy Car driver Alex Palou linked with two F1 teams for the 2024 season

IndyCar driver Alex Palou has recently been linked with joining two F1 teams for the 2024 season. Though there are several other younger racing drivers from various disciplines who are also keen to join the popular single-seater series, Palou could be a major contender.

One of the key reasons is that he is currently working as a reserve driver for McLaren whenever he is not racing in IndyCar. He has been working with the British team since 2022 and is a permanent reserve driver for them in the 2023 F1 season.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri seemingly have no intentions of moving to a new team just yet, However, there have been a few rumors suggesting that Norris could leaving McLaren if they are unable to deliver a decent car for him.

Hence, there is a small chance that Palou could step up and enter the sport as a rookie.

Furthermore, Palou could also be targeting Red Bull's junior program by taking the seat from Nyck de Vries, who has struggled in his rookie year with AlphaTauri. This is according to former Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr., who voiced his thoughts on the "Pelas Pistas" podcast.

Since Red Bull is known to be ruthless with rookie drivers and sometimes removes them after a season or two, De Vries could see himself getting replaced. However, they haven't voiced such intentions until now.

Meanwhile, after the 2023 IndyCar season ends, Palou will be staying with McLaren's F1 team and will continue to work as a reserve driver for them.

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F1 pundits feel Lando Norris would excel in Red Bull

Amid rumors about Alex Palou joining McLaren, F1 pundit Peter Windsor reckons Lando Norris would deliver some great performances if he moved to Red Bull.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, he explained how the Briton would fit comfortably in the Austrian-British team. He also feels Norris would be a good teammate for Max Verstappen.

Windsor said:

"I mean, if Lando was offered a Red Bull seat, he would take it. And maybe Red Bull would offer him a drive, and I would imagine he'd be a guy that Max would be comfortable with.

"They probably don't figure this into their thinking, but it would be great for them to have another long corner driver, with Max being the short corner driver, because then you've got the best of both worlds."

The F1 pundit went on to add:

"Lando's a good guy, you know, and he's quick, he's quite capable of winning, and he'd do a better job than [Sergio] Perez, I think, over a season. I think he's under contract, though, for another year at McLaren, so I don't think we should get too excited about that.

"But yeah, he would do a good job, and he would definitely be a good man to have in the other car."

As of now, Lando Norris is completely committed to McLaren, at least until 2025. However, he will have several teams to choose from if he does decide to leave.