Palou rumoured as Red Bull candidate for 2026

Alex Palou has emerged as a surprise contender for Red Bull’s second Formula 1 seat in 2026, according to fresh reports.

Indy Star writer Nathan Brown claims “sources with direct knowledge of the talks” say Red Bull is evaluating the four-time IndyCar champion, who races for Chip Ganassi Racing in the United States.

Palou, 28, has previously downplayed the idea of switching to F1, repeatedly stating he is settled in America and “done” with pursuing a grand prix career, but with the 2025 IndyCar season concluding, the timing could allow for a move, subject to contract.

His manager Roger Yasukawa told Marca: “We haven’t spoken to anyone in Formula 1 about Alex,” stressing that Palou has a binding deal to stay with Ganassi. Even so, speculation points to potential exit clauses if a top F1 team makes an offer, though only with a large buyout fee.

For Red Bull, the rumour highlights a recurring issue. Since Daniel Ricciardo’s departure at the end of 2018, the team has rotated through Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, none of whom have matched Max Verstappen closely enough to ease the difficulty of constructors’ title campaigns, especially lately.

Russian pundit Dmitry Popov weighed in on his YouTube channel: “An interesting rumour about Palou. Their season is already ending, and he will basically be free after Zandvoort. And he has a super license, unlike (Colton) Herta.

“But to do that, without experience - to sit in a problematic car like that - why ruin your reputation against Max? He’s a hero and a four-time champion, and to end up here in last place on the grid many times in a row on unfamiliar tracks. To be honest, this rumour seems strange to me, but we’ll see.

“There’s no smoke without fire. Maybe they’ll try to buy him out from Chip Ganassi next year.”

Meanwhile, former F1 driver Christian Danner told German publication Ran that more likely successors to Tsunoda remain within the Red Bull system.

“There are a few names that are on everyone’s lips,” he said. “(Isack) Hadjar is really coming on strong. There’s also Arvid Lindblad from Formula 2, who is very talented and very fast. Yuki Tsunoda is still in the mix, theoretically.

But the main problem is not the driver, but the car. Until the car works, the second driver can’t expect to be two tenths behind Verstappen either, which should be the bare minimum.”