Lando Norris has said Alex Palou has a tough job ahead of him as he steps into Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren for Free Practice 1 at the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix.
The 2021 IndyCar Series winner has been drafted in to fulfil the first of the team’s two ‘rookie’ sessions for the year, with Pato O’Ward set to complete the second in Abu Dhabi at the end of the year.
It will mark Palou’s debut in a current spec F1 car after completing two outings in last year’s model.
“It’s always tough coming into an FP1, especially in a car he’s never driven before,” Norris said.
“He’s done some test days in the previous car, but this one is quite a different one, on such a cool track as well.
“So it’s not going to be easy, it’s not like you have a lot of time, especially with the tyres and things – you don’t get that many laps of feeling good grip and things.
“But he’s an extremely good driver,” Norris continued.
“I’ve known Alex – I guess almost since karting I’ve known him – more personally probably the last few years.
“But he’s an incredibly good driver, very talented, and he’s in the car for a reason. He can give good insight, add some valuable details for us and help us out as much as possible.
“He’ll do a good job.”
Palou has competed in IndyCar since 2020, making his debut with Dale Coyne Racing before switching to Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021.
McLaren attempted to sign the 25-year-old to its own IndyCar programme for next season, though that resulted in CGR taking Palou to court to retain his services.
The Spaniard has remained involved with McLaren’s Formula 1 operation with the current opportunity the result of the unavailability of Oscar Piastri, who remains under contract with Alpine until the end of the season.
While there was hope the Australian would be released from his Alpine contract early, that seems unlikely given the bitter contract dispute that took place between the two teams.
On top of the Free Practice 1 outing at the Circuit of The Americas, there is therefore also the strong possibility of a further outing for Palou at the Young Driver Test in Yas Marina in the days following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix next month.
Palou is one of four rookie drivers set to take part in the opening session with Robert Shwartzman in action for Ferrari, Logan Sargeant for Williams, and Theo Pourchaire for Alfa Romeo Sauber.
Opening practice for the United States Grand Prix begins at 14:00 local time (20:00 BST/06:00 AEDT).
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