Red Bull ready to sign IndyCar champ Alex Palou as Max Verstappen's teammate: Report

Chip Ganassi Racing star Alex Palou refused to honor the Arrow McLaren contract, which included the reserve driver role for the F1 team and a possibility to become McLaren's F1 driver in the future. Ever since, the Spaniard has been clear that he's no longer interested in F1. However, as per the latest reports, Red Bull Racing is interested in signing Palou as Max Verstappen's teammate.

Four-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou signed a contract with Arrow McLaren in 2022 and was set to join the Papaya team for the 2023 season before Chip Ganassi Racing intervened and mediated a contract to delay the move by a year. With Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris signing long-term contracts with McLaren, and Palou not seeing his future at the Papaya team, he refused to honor the Arrow McLaren contract.

The Spaniard has been clear that he wishes to continue his future Motorsports aspirations with Chip Ganassi Racing in IndyCar, the team he's won all four of his titles with. However, as per IndyStar’s latest reports, Red Bull is interested in Palou and wants to sign the IndyCar star alongside Max Verstappen.

According to Nathan Brown, sources with direct knowledge of Red Bull’s interest in Palou informed IndyStar about the same. However, the CGR driver and his manager, Roger Yasukawa, have denied any talks with the Milton Keynes-based outfit about a possible move.

NTT INDYCAR Series Snap-On Milwaukee Mile 250 - Source: Getty

Red Bull has had a troublesome time with the second seat at the team, as all the drivers, including Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson, and now Yuki Tsunoda, have failed to come close to Max Verstappen’s performance.

Sergio Perez's subpar performance in 2024 arguably cost Red Bull the Constructors' championship as Max Verstappen won the Drivers' title. In 2024, while Verstappen has been able to win a couple of races, Yuki Tsunoda has scored points only during three race weekends.

Amid this, a driver as capable and as dominant as Alex Palou might be able to get rid of Red Bull's second seat woes. For the Spaniard, the Milton Keynes-based outfit has been the top team in the last three years, and would be a lucrative offer.

This isn't the first time that Red Bull has shown interest in the four-time IndyCar champion, as rumors of the AlphaTauri (now VCARB, Red Bull's sister team) wanting to sign Alex Palou circled the paddock in 2023.

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“F1 is not calling me anymore”: Alex Palou insists on staying in IndyCar

Alex Palou won his first-ever Indy 500 this year and was questioned about the possibility of making a move to F1 amid his dominance in the American open-wheel racing series. The Spaniard suggested that he's no longer interested in F1, and insisted on staying in IndyCar.

"[F1] is not calling me anymore. I still follow it. It’s a huge series. It’s amazing. I’m a big fan, but I don’t think they’re having as much fun as I’m having here. I don’t see people celebrating with their wives and their kids as much as we do. I don’t see them hanging in the bus lot or having dinner with their mechanics. I only enjoy driving and having fun and being with my people, so I think [F1] is the total opposite,” added Palou (via IndyStar)

Palou became the fourth driver to win three consecutive IndyCar titles as he joined the likes of Dario Franchitti, Sebastien Bourdais, and Ted Horn.