Former IndyCar champ baffled by F1 teams ignoring Alex Palou for 2026 seat: "It doesn't make sense"

Former IndyCar and F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve has expressed great concern about F1 teams not considering signing reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou for 2026. The Spaniard had a historic season in the premier American open-wheel series, winning eight of 17 races, including the prestigious Indy 500.

Palou won his third consecutive championship in 2025 and fourth overall in only his sixth season in IndyCar. In the nine races he didn't win this season, the 28-year-old finished on the podium five times.

This impressive resume of Alex Palou's made Jacques Villeneuve question why no F1 team is considering signing him. While speaking about Alpine's 2026 driver dilemma, with the Flavio Briatore-led team already having cycled through two rookies this season and still having an undecided lineup, Villeneuve told a betting site (as quoted by GPblog):

"Flavio Briatore has always been very brutal, that's how it should be. He's made a lot of driver calls in the past, some that were amazing and some that were completely messed up, but least, he tried."

The 1995 Indy 500 winner then highlighted that there is plenty of proven talent in IndyCar, which would be a better option for F1 teams than junior F2 drivers who might not be ready for the big stage. Naming Alex Palou as the top prospect, Villeneuve added:

"We don't see that sparkle from any young drivers at the moment. It's very difficult to know what's coming up. For some reason, F1 is not looking at what's happening in the States, like in IndyCar, and which drivers could or could not maybe be a potential F1 driver. I think someone like Alex Palou, I still don't understand why he is not in F1? It doesn't make sense. Why would you prefer an F2 driver?"

Alpine is evaluating current driver Franco Colapinto and reserve driver Paul Aron for the second seat alongside Pierre Gasly for 2026.

Alex Palou's links with Cadillac F1 and Red Bull

Alex Palou at the F1 USA Grand Prix - Practice - Source: Getty

Alex Palou was linked with two different F1 teams this year. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver was linked with Cadillac F1 after his victory at the 109th Indy 500. The General Motors-backed team was still evaluating drivers for its 2026 lineup.

However, Palou firmly shut down those rumors, emphasizing how he was all in to chase more greatness in IndyCar.

"Everybody knows that I tried everything to get into F1; I was all-in. It wasn’t even just, ‘I'll try a little bit.’ It was all-in. It didn’t work. I would put it as, I’m not looking to go there. I had my half a chance (as a McLaren reserve driver) or maybe more like a 10-percent chance—and it didn’t work out. That’s fine, and I’m glad that I have an amazing opportunity here, and it’s going well. I’ve had no contacts [in F1]. I’m not looking for a change," he said via RACER.

While there was complete clarity from the Spaniard about his commitment to IndyCar, a few months later, he found himself in the center of a huge F1 rumor once again. In August, a report from Indy Star claimed that Red Bull was interested in signing Alex Palou as Max Verstappen's teammate for 2026.

However, that rumor received the same treatment from the four-time IndyCar champion as the Cadillac link before. He flat-out denied any interest from Red Bull, while his boss, Chip Ganassi, called it a "clickbait" story.