IndyCar has been Palou’s playground, winning four of the last five drivers’ championships, including this year’s Indianapolis 500.
In 2025, the Spaniard enjoyed his best season to date. With one race remaining, he has eight wins and 10 podiums from a 16-race season.
He has been so untouchable that he clinched the title with two races to spare, beating McLaren’s Pato O’Ward.
That has seemingly piqued the interest of Red Bull, with Indianapolis outlet IndyStar reporting that “sources with direct knowledge of the talks” have Palou in line for a shot at F1 with Red Bull.
Palou denied as much, as did his manager Roger Yasukawa and his IndyCar team Chip Ganassi Racing.
Palou is contracted to the team through to 2026 but it is understood that there is a clause to get an early exit should F1 come knocking.
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The second seat at Red Bull has been through several hands. Sergio Perez was dismissed at the end of 2024 and replaced by Liam Lawson in a short-lived move that eventually saw him demoted to Racing Bulls and Yuki Tsunoda promoted in his place.
There has been no suggestion that Tsunoda is on the outer. However, a move away from Honda to Ford could have implications for the Japanese driver.
If a move came to pass, Palou wouldn’t be the first IndyCar champion to switch to F1.
Jacques Villeneuve famously won the 1995 IndyCar title with Andretti and went on to join Williams a year later, before claiming the F1 world championship in 1997.
Other IndyCar champions to have made the switch include Juan Pablo Montoya, Cristiano da Matta, and Sebastien Bourdais.
Palou has flirted with F1 previously, but it landed him in hot water.
He tried in 2022 to join McLaren and move to its IndyCar team, but Chip Ganassi triggered an option to extend Palou’s services for 2023, but not without legal proceedings.
Palou was allowed to be a test driver for McLaren and made his F1 grand prix debut in practice at Circuit of the Americas in 2022 having signed a multi-year agreement.
Palou was poised to join McLaren’s IndyCar team but turned his back on them, which resulted in a lengthy legal battle that is still ongoing.
McLaren let Palou go but sued him in the UK Commercial Court for breach of contract in a bid to recoup millions of dollars the team said it cost them.
McLaren alleged Palou’s snub cost them upwards of $46 million. A trial is set for October.
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