IndyCar driver Alex Palou has taken the wheel of a McLaren Formula 1 car in Barcelona as part of a three-day test.
The 2021 IndyCar Series champ flew to the United Kingdom following last weekend’s season finale in Laguna Seca and visited the McLaren Technology Centre.
He’s since headed back to his homeland for his outing at the wheel of a MCL35M, the team’s 2021 car.
Noteworthy is the fact Colton Herta will not be part of this week’s test.
Herta has a deal with McLaren for outings in its 2021-spec car and has been central to the F1 silly season.
Red Bull is openly interested in the American and is working to obtain a superlicence dispensation for him for 2023.
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That would see the IndyCar race winner placed at Scuderia AlphaTauri in place of Pierre Gasly.
The Frenchman has been tipped with a move to Alpine following Fernando Alonso’s departure for Aston Martin and Oscar Piastri’s defection to McLaren.
There have been suggestions Herta could even test for Alpine at the Hungaroring before the Singapore Grand Prix at the end of the month, though that has not been confirmed.
That is unlikely to lead to an F1 race drive even if it does transpire with the FIA understood to be steadfast in its unwillingness to create a precedent in bypassing the superlicence system.
Its concern surrounds the ongoing credibility of the system should it be bypassed in this instance and the unintended consequences that may have.
There is a concern a dispensation for Herta would negatively impact the Liberty Media-owned Formula 3 and Formula 2 championships as the established pathway to the sport’s pinnacle.
The FIA’s current stance is consistent with Speedcafe.com’s understanding that Herta was denied a superlicence a year ago when a similar request was submitted.
Meanwhile, Palou faces an uncertain future.
The Spaniard is currently embroiled in a legal tussle with Chip Ganassi Racing over his services after being announced by both CGR and McLaren SP for next year’s IndyCar Series.
He will become the third IndyCar driver inside the last 12 months to have tested for McLaren, with Pato O’Ward having had an outing at the Abu Dhabi post-season test last year and Herta’s two-day outing at Portimao in July.
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