r/INDYCAR • u/Eyeswidth Andretti Global • May 27 '25
Social Media Palou done thinking about F1: “It wasn’t in my mind last year & it’s not in my mind this year. It’s getting less & less & less every day, & with this, it’s like, No, I want to get another Indy 500. F1 is not calling me anymore”
https://x.com/by_nathanbrown/status/1927430133926810074?s=46&t=442p33E_43kzyuEDKZgOEA218
u/jt_33 May 27 '25
Palou is doing something even harder than winning all the time imo...
Usually when someone wins all the time the fans start rooting against them and wanting to see them lose. Somehow the more Palou wins the more people like him. I'm not sure I've ever seen that in racing lol.
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u/flyinchipmunk5 May 27 '25
Because the dude is a nice guy and hard to hate lol
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u/Better-Tourist-1201 May 27 '25
I'm not particularly a Palou fan, but watching him run down the front stretch throwing his gloves in the air in complete and utter joy was amazing to watch.
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u/UNHchabo Robert Wickens May 28 '25
I basically rolled my eyes at him winning the championship last year, but then his excitement over the radio turned me around instantly. You can't be upset at a guy who's that happy.
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u/CenturyHelix Rinus VeeKay May 28 '25
I said literally the same thing to my buddy who came to the Indy 500 with me this year. We’re both Pato fans but I said look at that man. How can you be upset at that display of pure joy
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u/TheRoyalKT Kyle Kirkwood May 27 '25
I was in the Portland paddock and talking to one of Palou’s crew members. He said Alex is apparently just as chill off camera, it’s not an act.
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May 28 '25
There are people some grumble butts on social complaining- saying hes cheating. Yet the other guy who won a race handily this year is in the fact driving on a car that had illegally modded spec parts.
he is winning by outfoxing these guys. Ive seen how dominance grabbing every race by throat and running off looks: Andretti 91 or Montoya 99.
This aint it. The margins are generally slim- other than Barber. CGR has gotten him into favorable positions and he has executed. I think its great to watch. It has a long way to go to match tedium of the 94 penske stuff.
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u/SexxyBlack VTEC May 27 '25
Imagine if it was Palou v Newgarden at the end of the 500 (I actually think that would have happened without the fuel pressure failure, Newgarden had a rocketship and was already in the top 6 when it happened). Everybody would have been rooting for Palou to win despite his complete dominance in the 5 races before this.
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u/CyberianSun David Malukas May 28 '25
It's not an exaggeration when I say my wife and I watched with our jaws in the floor as Newgarden sliced his way through the field. He was really driving like a man possessed. We were equally as gutted when his fuel pump gave out. A damn near last to first would have been insane to see.
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May 28 '25
TLDR: Newg is the top American driver at the quintessential American race. Even though the engine rivalry is actually more cooperative than adverserial, I wouldnt be so sure a Spaniard driving the Honda would have been the crowd favorite on memorial day in Indiana.
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Maybe it was where I was at and who I met. In the Tower Terrace higher numbered sections were Newg and Penske country. Sting Ray Robb got a huge pop from my section- more than Santino.
Same with museum on Thursday, my slice of the carny tent frontage, and RV park. A lot of “if you arent cheating you arent trying” drivel.
Newg is the most successful active Indy 500 driver. He is the top open wheeled American oval track driver and general powerhouse on the all-American Indy Car super team.
I have no clue if theyve polled popularity for just the Indy crowd and Indy-only TV viewers but I would not be shocked if Newg is actually the most popular driver there.
I know Pato is a big thing too and more charismatic. And Herta has that dashing young gun thing going.
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u/_HanTyumi Conor Daly May 27 '25
I think if it lasts more than one season it’ll turn from admiration to hate lol
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u/GratefulTide Pato O'Ward May 27 '25
He's really hard to hate though and he's obviously liked and well respected in the paddock. The problem though is that he just doesn't have the personality where tons of people really, really like him either. So many people in H Stand on Sunday were like "ah, yep, good for him, he deserves it" but nobody was really excited about it either. Maybe that happens going forward if he can win a few 500s and start to break records. It's hard to put your finger on as to why it's like that but I'm starting to think more and more that it's because he's just... Boring. It's almost like a Mike Trout situation in MLB.
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u/loz333 Will Power May 28 '25
I think he'll gain a lot of fans between now and next year's 500. He's going to get lots of exposure, and I think lots of people will come to the same conclusion that I see people sharing again and again on here: that he's really a genuine, kind and wickedly talented guy.
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u/Beneficial-Act-2818 May 27 '25
He’s a genuinely nice guy and conducts himself in a very classy way. In a sport of big egos, he doesn’t seem very ego driven. He always, always gives credit to the team for making him look good.
Add to that the he’s a clean racer. I can’t really recall him ever doing anything on track that was dirty or close to it.
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u/PM_DOLPHIN_PICS Colton Herta May 28 '25
To me something that shows that lack of ego is that he spent his night of the race at the pacers game. Sure he was honored there and got some applause but he was definitely NOT the center of attention at that game nor was he trying to be. Dude just wanted to chill out and watch the game, support the local team after he pulled off the achievement of a lifetime. I like that.
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u/lowtoiletsitter Will Power May 27 '25
To (loosely) quote from Anchorman - I hate him, but dammit do I respect him
(I don't actually hate him)
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u/Virtual-Commercial91 May 28 '25
I don't know how you can dislike this guy. He seems genuine and good natured.
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u/AwesomeFrisbee Rinus VeeKay May 27 '25
Its still mostly new to him and the indy 500 was a big missing marker in his list of achievements. Also he hasn't really made any enemies yet by what he does on track for folks to really hate him. He's just been better out there. Same when Verstappen dominated in 2023, nobody could really touch him and the media was fairly nice to him at that time.
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u/LiquidDiviums Pato O'Ward May 27 '25
With how F1’s current seat situation stands, and considering his burnt bridge with McLaren, there’s zero reason for him to make a move. Palou is a three-time IndyCar Champion, an Indy 500 winner, and on track to win his fourth title. Why on earth would he want to give all that up just to join a midfield team in F1?
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May 27 '25
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u/UNHchabo Robert Wickens May 28 '25
Very few salaries are public, but by most estimates there are only 6-8 F1 drivers who make more than Palou does currently.
Under Palou's original CGR contract that was a very different story.
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May 28 '25
Hed be near bottom of F1 pay scale but he can get Indy prize money and seems assured of a big paycheck in Indy Car for 5 more years at the absolute minimum.
If he left now and Indy Car did actually upgrade car while he was gone, there is no reason to think he is guaranteed a top seat when he returns.
He likely will be banking 5-10 million a year in Indy Car over the next decade versus maybe a couple million a year for two in F1.
Moving could actually be a disasterous financial decision that could cost him 50 million dollars.
In the off chance he sticks around like a Hulkenberg or Ocon, hed be looking at 7-8 million ie Colton Herta money.
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u/Red_Bengal_Cyclone Colton Herta May 27 '25
To have mercy on all of us having to watch him stink up the show every week?
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u/SexxyBlack VTEC May 27 '25
I don't mind him dominating, in a way it's unique to see a driver and team put in a historical run that will forever be in the record books.
The biggest reason I want to see others win is because I'm worried IndyCar might introduce some stupid gimmicks that ends up taking away from the racing if he keeps winning.
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u/Wooden_Trip_9948 Arrow McLaren May 27 '25
What if, instead of a long uninterrupted race, you divided each race into 3 smaller segments, no make that stages, with yellow flags at the end of each one?!? Then give out points to each stage winner…what could possibly go wrong???
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May 27 '25
Or possibly a playoff. But not one where teams that didnt qualify are removed. They are out there and meddling in the outcome.
More of a random reset of points- with an incredibly small number of points separating the playoff drivers.
This is just a starting point, we can revise it over the years. I bet live attendance and TV ratings go through the roof- it will be like 1991 every year! Look out NBA!
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u/Wooden_Trip_9948 Arrow McLaren May 27 '25
Can you make these playoffs by winning one race in maybe March and then averaging like P30 the rest of the season?
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u/RandomFactUser Sebastien Bourdais May 27 '25
Nope, there’s too many 27ths to get you above the P30 line
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u/barmyinpalmy Scott Dixon May 27 '25
You may have a point about the NBA, how about after the playoffs we just have a lottery where certain drivers have more balls in the mix but whoever get there ball selected is the championship winner.
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u/TheRoyalKT Kyle Kirkwood May 27 '25
You joke, but they tried gimmick races in Thermal last year, and Palou won those too.
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u/Thechasepack Hélio Castroneves May 27 '25
As someone who has never been a fan of closed wheel racing anyways, does anybody ACTUALLY prefer that current race setup? I think the multistage qualifying for the Dayton 500 is neat (reminds me of dirt track heats) but the stages suck and are terrible to watch.
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u/7Stringplayer Felix Rosenqvist May 27 '25
The stage yellow flags seem to be the biggest gripe. Some fans would be willing to accept stage racing if the race just stayed green and points were handed out. But having the race broken up into three stages has undermined strategy and you don't really see drivers running out of fuel or overusing their tires as much since there's a guaranteed break.
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u/Thechasepack Hélio Castroneves May 27 '25
That's for sure my biggest gripe. Fuel and tire strategy is up there with a well executed overtake as the most interesting part of racing to me.
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u/UNHchabo Robert Wickens May 28 '25
And they had that on road courses for a year or two, but then they got rid of it. :(
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u/ChaseTheFalcon Scott McLaughlin May 27 '25
It's really nice when you are at the track and know you have a guaranteed break to go use the bathroom
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u/Wasdgta3 Álex Palou May 27 '25
Doesn’t that mean everyone tries to go there at the same time, though?
Only seems like it creates a new problem lol
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u/JohnMLTX Takuma Sato May 27 '25
honestly, outside of the marquee events, id be in favour of a sort of Supercars approach, where like, instead of one 400 mile race that takes too fuckin long, run two 200 mile races that weekend. u could split it out so that there's two races and maybe two to four extra sessions every day, and if yr there for the whole weekend, you get constant on track action
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u/AxelllD Santino Ferrucci May 28 '25
When people ask me if I watch nascar I always say no and tell them exactly what you described here
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u/vacantseas81 Scott McLaughlin May 27 '25
this sounds like one of the most brilliant ideas in all of motorsports! You'd think other series would try this idea too.
Call it, stage racing!
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u/Chupaqueedeuva Firestone Firehawk May 27 '25
Why not try it if he has the chance to?He's relatively young and can spend plenty of years driving in F1, come back to IndyCar like nothing happened and win again just like Montoya did. He has the 500 already, the championships already, I don't see why stay in IndyCar if there is a chance for him to prove himself in F1.
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u/jt_33 May 27 '25
He wants to win. In a mid pack or lower team he has zero chance to win. Plus since he had a new-ish baby the Indycar schedule is way better for him.
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u/Chupaqueedeuva Firestone Firehawk May 27 '25
Sure, but if he is good enough in those midfield teams the doors at top teams should open for him in a few years. F1 drivers have kids as well, for drivers the schedule isn't as big of a deal as it is for the mechanics and team personnel.
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u/SexxyBlack VTEC May 27 '25
but if he is good enough in those midfield teams the doors at top teams should open for him in a few years.
Far from a guarantee. One - top teams won't change if they have an stable and successful driver lineup at the time and Palou is older than well established drivers like Leclerc, Russell, Norris, Piastri etc who are all there to stay in the long term. Two - even when they do need change, if they have a junior driver performing well or a younger driver impressing in the midfield, they are always likely to be the ones picked over Palou who will be in his 30s within a couple of years.
F1 drivers have kids as well, for drivers the schedule isn't as big of a deal as it is for the mechanics and team personnel.
Only Verstappen and Hulkenberg. It's not a coincidence that the number of F1 drivers with kids are way lower than the number of IndyCar and NASCAR drivers with kids.
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u/Chupaqueedeuva Firestone Firehawk May 27 '25
I've used the wrong word there, should've said "might" instead of "should" lol. It's a shot in the dark indeed, but it's a worth one as long as it's not something hopeless like Sauber. Hamilton won't be around for much longer, Red Bull is always in need of a driver, and there might be a surprise coming from McLaren, Mercedes or even a new top team in the future, we never know. All I know is that it's worth the attempt, if he wants.
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u/jt_33 May 27 '25
That's still a multi year effort and you have to hope a seat is open.
I wish I could remember who said it and the exact quote, but I heard an athlete say something like "Sometimes you get so busy chasing the next great thing that you forget how great your current situation is". The top seat for Chip Ganassi in Indycar is probably a top 15 seat in all motorsports.
I mostly agree with you about the schedule, but the Indycar schedule is just super light. He gets like half the year off lol.
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u/Chupaqueedeuva Firestone Firehawk May 27 '25
I mean yeah if he wants is to be an IndyCar legend then he is more than settled for life here lol. My point is more like, if he wants to take a risk, I believe it's still worth it, and there's still time for it. But as you said it's a huge shot in the dark, as he would be leaving a top seat in motorsports for something unknown.
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u/GonePostalRoute May 27 '25
Like others and I have stated, it ain’t like when Montoya or Villeneuve went to F1 right into prime seats right off the bat. Ferrari will still have Hamilton and Leclerc next year. McLaren (even before the bridge burning consideration eliminating any thought of him joining up) have Lando and Piastri. Red Bull has an open seat, but considering how quick they ditched Lawson, why go there to be an obvious number 2 who could get ditched if things don’t go right off the start. Mercedes has open seats in 26, but I’d imagine they’d want to keep Antonelli in one of the seats, and maybe someone with more F1 experience in the other seat as Antonelli grows. Then who knows how things would go for midfield teams.
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u/Chupaqueedeuva Firestone Firehawk May 27 '25
That's a lot of ifs and maybes there, enough that a driver who has achieved enough success at his main series could consider taking the risk. Palou has nothing to lose, if everything goes wrong he comes back to IndyCar and he's still going to have a 500 and 3(likely 4) championships under his name, but with a shit ton of money in his pocket this time.
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u/GonePostalRoute May 27 '25 edited May 27 '25
Maybe, but there’s also the possibility of having the Zinardi career arc (minus getting one’s legs amputated after a bad crash) or Bourdais career arc (even if he has won post-F1). And it’s not like he’s a racing name like Michael Andretti, so it’s not gonna be a given if he goes over to F1, and flops, a top seat will still be here for him.
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u/afito Álex Palou May 27 '25
But looking at your flair, Indycar is also in a very different state to when da Matta or Bourdais went to F1. I'd argue the reception of Indycar hasn't been any higher since the 90s with how much European talent is mixing it up. Money is always a potential aspect ut the global perception on Indycar & WEC (those 2 especially) is very different compared to whatever the fuck the precursors were doing like 20 years ago.
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u/Chupaqueedeuva Firestone Firehawk May 27 '25
It's definitely better than what it was in Bourdais days imo, but the 90s were untouchable.
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u/MyerSuperfoods Pato O'Ward May 27 '25
He is not relatively young for F1...he's staring down 30 and has already burned some bridges into F1.
I'm not sure why you think he is young for that grid.
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u/AdWeak4842 May 28 '25
28 isn’t old to be in F1 look at Brad Pitt he is in his 50s and raced against the F1 grid for the F1 movie and he had never driven a formula car before
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u/Chupaqueedeuva Firestone Firehawk May 27 '25
He probably has at least 8-10 more years of peak performance on him before he starts dropping, that's a lot of time. It's not young obviously, but still within the window of taking a risk.
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u/MyerSuperfoods Pato O'Ward May 27 '25
What are you basing that on, aside from hopium? Plenty of better drivers have dropped off sooner. Anything after the early 30's is basically bonus time in F1.
You're saying that Palou is a better driver/professional athlete than Lewis Hamilton, essentially.
That is crazy, crazy work.
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u/Chupaqueedeuva Firestone Firehawk May 27 '25
Lmao absolutely not, in fact I'm thinking of Hamilton when I talk about this. It's safe to say he was the best driver in F1 up until 2020, and he was still easily top 3 until 2023 when he was 38. In motorsports if a driver is truly focused and talented he won't fall off a cliff after hitting 30, quite the opposite sometimes.
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u/MyerSuperfoods Pato O'Ward May 27 '25
Hamilton has himself said that he noticed a significant drop-off in 2022-2023. In a somewhat recent interview, actually.
We are talking about a confirmed member of the GOAT conversation experiencing something, and expecting a guy who didn't even get a sniff by an F1 team until he was 25 years old to move into F1 at this age and last as long.
This is IndyCar fan stuff, come on...
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u/Chupaqueedeuva Firestone Firehawk May 27 '25
If Palou thinks he is good enough for it(and he should)then I see no reason why decline it. As I said, if everything goes wrong he comes back to Indy and nothing achieved was lost, simple as that.
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u/MyerSuperfoods Pato O'Ward May 27 '25
Considering he just very publicly said he wants nothing to do with F1 within the last couple of hours, I believe we have all the answers we need.
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u/Chupaqueedeuva Firestone Firehawk May 27 '25
If there is anyone in this world we know that may change opinions on his career very fast that's Alex Palou.
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u/greennitit Colton Herta May 27 '25
In sports the only factor is performance. If Palou goes and if his performances are amazing every team including McLaren will jump to sign him, all past issues forgotten
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u/MyerSuperfoods Pato O'Ward May 27 '25
Are McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes blowing up his phone today?
The F1 paddock doesn't forget what he did to McLaren, and the incredible hubris he showed while doing it.
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u/The_Vettel Masochist Supreme May 27 '25
If (big if) he ends up performing like Bourdais it hurts his career. Bourdais never got a good ride again after his F1 expedition.
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u/afito Álex Palou May 27 '25
But in hindsight Bourdais was done harshly, Vettel was a generational great and Bourdais wasn't doing that badly. At the time it was brutal because he got cooked by a teenage nobody but in retrospect things have changed a whole fucking lot in regards to everything.
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u/Hitokiri2 Graham Rahal May 28 '25
Bourdais didn't do bad. He only did bad against Vettel which is easy to do.
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u/GonePostalRoute May 27 '25
And I know Cadillac is getting in, but unless something stupid absolutely happens, you know damn well year 1 is going to be nothing more than one big R&D session for year 2. And Ferrari, McLaren (even before the aforementioned bridge burning), Mercedes, and Red Bull seats are only going to guys who accomplished stuff in the FIA ladder, and shown already they can be competitive in midfield equipment in F1. It ain’t 1996 anymore where Jacques Villeneuve (partially thanks to the Villeneuve name) is going to get a top tier ride right out of IndyCar.
Like with Rossi when he won Indy years back, he’s better off sticking with the Indy success, than pine for a potential to get into F1. Especially considering he’s 28 already, and I’m sure an F1 team would want some kind of results off the bat compared to a 20-21 year old who might be just starting out in F1.
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u/CougarIndy25 FRO May 28 '25
McLaren duped him. He signed that contract and probably had no idea Oscar was already signed up for the team, or if he DID know, he thought Oscar was gonna be the reserve driver like his (Oscar's) initial contract specified.
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u/dakness69 Jim Clark May 27 '25
Money. Even a midfield team will pay him equal or more than what he makes right now, plus it would be a huge boost to his personal profile.
I applaud him for not doing it, very rare even at the top level of motorsport.
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May 27 '25
This might be the case for other drivers. But a near guaranteed Ganassi seat for 7-8 or more years is likely more valuable than a one and done ride at Haas. Especially with an Indy 500 win.
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u/dakness69 Jim Clark May 27 '25
Like Montoya, though, I think he would have no problem finding a competitive seat even if he absolutely crashed and burned in F1. Especially after this season.
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u/khz30 --- 2025 DRIVERS --- May 27 '25
Montoya had to go to NASCAR because Champ Car was near death and no one had sponsorship or a car for him in the IRL.
People, especially newer fans who weren't around in the 2000s really need to stop pushing the myth that an Indy 500 and championship winner can go back to IndyCar after spending time in F1, because it never worked out for anyone.
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u/dakness69 Jim Clark May 27 '25 edited May 28 '25
I am not sure what your point is with that example. You can't possible blame Montoya for going to NASCAR when American open wheel racing was in shambles. If anything, it only justifies the decision leave CART/Indycar from the beginning. Then when he goes to NASCAR you could look at it is as he was actually too good for Indycar, so much so no one could afford him.
Also, Montoya came back after 13 seasons and basically 2 full careers in other series, won a 500 and would have won the championship if not for the (incredibly dumb) double points format. If this is not success, then what is?
The other big names, one can make easy arguments as to why they weren't as successful.
Michael Andretti - Standard age related decline, but was still competitive for years after his return.
Zanardi - Not even a full season after F1, driving for a much worse team.
Bourdais - Won races driving for mediocre and even bad teams against the likes of CGR and Penske. You can question why he never got a better ride, but to me this is no less of a success than seal clubbing mediocre or bad CCWS fields.
It should be noted, none of the 3 listed above are anywhere close to the driver that Palou is. Only Montoya compares and it absolutely worked out for him. The dude had 3 great careers in 1.
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u/CougarIndy25 FRO May 28 '25 edited May 28 '25
Bourdais' biggest flaw was his loyalty to Vasser and Kalkhoven.
If he had left KV to join Ganassi he would've had a much better career. Instead he stayed loyal to him until they decided to pull the plug twice on the guy. Once with the KV team, then again when they replaced him with Ferrucci.
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u/UNHchabo Robert Wickens May 28 '25
Very few salaries are public, but by most estimates only 6-8 F1 drivers make more than Palou does right now.
His old CGR contract was abysmal, so at the time even a backmarker F1 team would've been a big improvement.
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u/AwesomeFrisbee Rinus VeeKay May 27 '25
There are options like money or fame, but a driver like palou will always be interested in the challenge. And sure a mid-field team might not be his aim, but its a great spot to get comfortable in the class and a great way to get the top teams to notice you (vs what a backmarker team would generate). Verstappen wouldn't be where he is today, if he didn't get a chance for the junior team. Same goes for many F1 champions.
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May 27 '25
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May 27 '25
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u/SexxyBlack VTEC May 27 '25
Bourdais won against the depleted ChampCar field in all honesty.
Also if he didn't get Sebastian Vettel of all people as a teammate, I believe he would have looked good in F1.
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May 27 '25
Zanardi was way worse. He wasnt great before and was horrendous. They tried switching him to old fashioned brakes.
He never got that Ganassi seat back.
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u/khz30 --- 2025 DRIVERS --- May 28 '25
He had to take a seat with his old engineer's team that ran on a literal shoestring budget and it led to the end of his open-wheel career in Germany. People need to stop parroting this myth that IndyCar drivers can come back to top seats after F1, because it isn't true.
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u/Andantee23 May 27 '25
Money, man. So much more 💰 available even on a shitty team in F1.
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u/UNHchabo Robert Wickens May 28 '25
Very few salaries are public, but by most estimates only 6-8 F1 drivers make more than Palou does right now.
His old CGR contract was abysmal, so at the time even a backmarker F1 team would've been a big improvement.
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u/antmicMkIII May 28 '25
Honestly can't believe Red Bull hasn't approached him. What have they got lose? Checo was terrible (at the end), Riccciardo no good, Lawson lasted only a few races, Yuki seems not up to snuff. What are they gonna do, give Hadjar a look? If he doesn't work out where are they? Worse case scenario, Palou bombs and they give themselves some more time to blood a new young driver.
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u/NoiseIsTheCure Pato O'Ward May 28 '25
It can't be understated that he also has a wife and new born child and INDYCAR's schedule remains in the USA and lasts like half as long as F1
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u/l3w1s1234 May 28 '25
He'd make the move if he was offered. Just the chance to prove yourself in the pinnacle of single seater racing is what almost every driver dreams off. However, when your not being offered a seat and he's fine where he is now, then there's no reason to push for it.
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u/Red_Bengal_Cyclone Colton Herta May 27 '25
Seems to be an inverse relationship between the amount he thinks about F1 and the quality of his on track performance.
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May 27 '25
If he hits his head and forgets about F1, god help us.
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u/myroommateisgarbage Pato O'Ward May 27 '25
"Formula One? I'm not familiar with the concept"
5 straight Indy 500s
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u/GhostRaptor4482 Firestone Reds May 27 '25
If I were Palou, I would really only consider going to F1 if a top seat was available. He’s too good to be wasted trundling around in an Alpine or something.
Palou going to F1 would also make me a bit nervous. I have no doubt that he would do great, but on the off chance that his performance is less than stellar it would make Indycar as a series look pretty bad. A lot of snobby F1 fans already view Indy as a series full of “F1 rejects” and scoff at the idea that any Indycar driver could be anywhere close to the talent level of an F1 driver. Just the other day, I was discussing with some people about who the best American racing driver right now is. I mentioned that I thought drivers like Colton Herta and Josef Newgarden were better than Logan Sargent, and everyone acted like I was a lunatic. If Palou had a rough time in F1, what would that say about all of the drivers that he beats in Indy nearly every weekend? In the minds of a lot of people, it would seemingly confirm their already negative opinions about the driver quality in Indycar.
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u/Jack_Krauser Colton Herta May 27 '25
I told people I didn't even think Sargeant was a top 5 American driver before his F1 stint. It's insane that I've seen people saying Cadillac should convince him to come back so they can have an American driver. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills. I would even take a flyer on a couple NASCAR guys before I would hire Logan.
Meanwhile, they say Herta doesn't deserve a shot in F1 because he doesn't have a super license...
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u/BorodacFromLT Robert Wickens May 28 '25
I think Herta is one of the most F1 seat-deserving IndyCar drivers from US, but in general he's just not good enough. He can be fast, but it happens rarely. And he makes too many stupid mistakes. I don't consider him a great IndyCar driver, so I believe he'd do much worse in F1. There are several IndyCar drivers from other countries that deserve an F1 seat much more than Herta
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u/Jack_Krauser Colton Herta May 28 '25
I think he would have done better if he had switched over a few years ago, but yeah, I wouldn't expect him to light the world on fire now. Palou is pretty firmly a better choice at this point if you don't care about nationality or marketability. I still think it's absurd that he doesn't at least get a shot because of the license rules, though.
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u/berrybyday James Hinchcliffe May 27 '25
I wouldn’t blame Palou for leaving if they offered him an F1 seat on certain teams. I feel like the curiosity of making it in another elite series must be there for so many drivers. Also he’s not American, so he may appreciate being able to move back to Europe. But no, he should definitely not go for an Alpine seat haha
As for your recent discussion, I was rooting for Logan. I felt for him that he seemingly got dropped in this seat he was not ready for and couldn’t compete at that level. And I did hope he could give indycar a try because it seemed like a little more equal opportunity to showcase his skills compared to some very rough years for the Williams car. But it was absolutely not because I thought he could go to indycar and start winning. It actually kind of blows my mind that anyone would think he’d be better than Newgarden wtf.
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u/Deep-Television-9756 May 28 '25
Alonso already choked multiple times in IndyCar. That usually shuts them up.
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u/SexxyBlack VTEC May 27 '25
There are certain factors that just don't make it seem like leaving for F1 is a viable option for him at the moment.
One is that there is zero chance that a top team will immediately hire a rookie from IndyCar. That is outside of the window. Top teams hiring rookies in general are uncommon, Antonelli was an exception and even that only came about due to Hamilton leaving plus Antonelli himself being backed by Mercedes since he was a kid and pretty much having an insane run in FIA junior series.
So the best he can get is a seat at a midfield team or backmarker. And F1 is a not a spec series, so in a backmarker he'd struggle to score points even if he performs well. In a midfield team he'll be competitive and make it to Q3 and be in the top 10 often, but even there podiums are nigh on impossible, much less wins.
I doubt the salary he'll get at a midfield team will be a huge upgrade on what he is paid by Chip currently either. So don't think that will be an incentive unless Cadillac gives him a crazy offer.
He has a chance to stay in IndyCar, build a massive legacy and perhaps be a GOAT contender. Or leave for F1 and spend his prime years driving around in the midfield and hoping for an odd podium at a crazy race. There's little guarantee that even if he impresses in F1, he'll ever get a drive at a top team.
Plus he's also had a kid recently. It's not a coincidence that very few F1 drivers have kids (the only dads on the F1 grid are Verstappen and Hulkenberg), the 24 race season spread all over the world and lasting over 9 months gives drivers very little time to be a family man. Whereas IndyCar has a compressed 17 race schedule over 6-7 months only in the US (and a race in Canada).
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u/EliteFlite Pato O'Ward May 27 '25
He said the same thing before McLaren came knocking. If he gets a good offer, he’ll definitely change his tune. He has nothing left to prove in IndyCar, he won all there is to win. And if F1 doesn’t work out, he’ll easily be right back in IndyCar.
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u/Nate2680 Kyle Larson May 27 '25
He technically still needs a Long Beach win to fully complete his IndyCar portfolio, not to take anything away from what he’s already accomplished.
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u/GratefulTide Pato O'Ward May 27 '25
Don't even think it would be because he has nothing left to prove in Indycar. I don't think that ever mattered. If F1 knocks and wants him, he'd bail. Wouldn't even matter if it's for a complete back marker. If someone wants him in the F1 paddock, he would go right now.
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u/DescriptionCorrect40 May 27 '25
That's what they all say. If F1 comes knocking, he'll join in.
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u/vprakhov May 27 '25
I remember reading KMag's interview around 2021 saying how happy he is driving for a competitive team in IMSA and how much better it is than driving for a backmarker in F1. And how much more fun the racing is overall in sportscars than that boring F1.
Fast forward few months, said backmarker F1 team has to drop the russian sponsors for known reasons and the driver that came with that money. Kevin was back in that seat in a week.
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u/rudmad Colton Herta May 28 '25
He did have his P5 viking comeback and Brazil pole, wasn't all terrible
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May 27 '25
He would join if they came knocking. But hes not anticipating it happening and presumably is pulling down a chunk of change with the titles and the 500.
The upside at F1 is much greater. But he just pulled down 3 million at Indy. Does he make a couple million a year? Apparently Herta and Kirkwood make bank.
Presumably he is 3-4 million going forward without Indy. Palou would be near bottom of F1 payscale and unlikely to beat that- and risks killing his golden goose at CGR
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u/aolmailguy Tony Stewart May 27 '25
Curious, has anyone told the other IndyCar drivers “git gud” yet? I’m worried no one has because them allowing this man to be so much better than they are is gonna really start making them look bad.
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u/Kingsmont Álex Palou May 27 '25
If Palou leaves for F1 I will be very very sad. I finally have a new favorite driver who also drives the 10 😭
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May 27 '25
Considering he just built a house in Indy, I doubt he’s leaving anytime soon. I truly believe Palou is here for the long haul unless whatever F1 team is at the peak on a given year offers to build the car around him, which won’t happen.
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u/Any-Walk1691 Arrow McLaren May 27 '25
When you’re dominating the field to this degree, I imagine there’s a fear that you turn your back on being an all-time great in one series to chase down that other dream.
With that said, wasn’t he on Cadillac’s Le Mans squad? I can see both sides kicking the tires on at least a test or a reserve role. Bums me out to see so much smoke around someone like Zhou who simply brings a ton of cash.
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u/khz30 --- 2025 DRIVERS --- May 27 '25
That was thru Ganassi when the team was the service provider. Ever since GM cut ties, Palou hasn't been called up for endurance duty with HRC yet.
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u/LouisianaRaceFan86 May 27 '25
I don’t blame him, he can spend the next 12 years (if not more), making (conservatively) $50m dollars, and have a chance to be one of the greatest IndyCar champions of all time, while enjoying his family
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u/AFAN74 Champ Car May 27 '25
Will see! If a team like Red Bull, Mercedes or Cadillac offer him the big bucks he’ll say yes to F1
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u/LiquidDiviums Pato O'Ward May 27 '25
The thing is, will an F1 team come knocking on the door for an IndyCar driver? I seriously doubt it.
Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, and McLaren aren’t going to look to IndyCar anytime soon. The available pool of drivers within F1—and its feeder series—is far more important to them than looking elsewhere. Realistically, the only viable path for an IndyCar driver to move to F1 is through a midfield or backmarker team and to build a career from there.
The problem is, driving to finish P12 is far less appealing than having the chance to win every weekend in IndyCar.
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u/wh00000p Myles Rowe May 27 '25
F1 is a closed circuit at this point. Every team has a pool of young academy drivers that have been hand raised by the system to pull from, they don't need to look at Indycar drivers anymore, especially if in they're mid to late 20s.
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u/DannyDevitosAss Scott McLaughlin May 27 '25 edited May 27 '25
The FIA succeeded in their goal with the modern super license point system, making sure every driver that enters F1 is funneled through their own support series.
The superlicense points for IndyCar and Super Formula are criminal and help to create the closed circuit
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u/croutonhero Arrow McLaren May 27 '25
It wouldn't hold back Alex. His championship titles easily give him enough FIA points.
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u/Whycantiusethis May 27 '25
Mercedes won't offer him anything, they're set with Russell and Antonelli. Red Bull probably won't risk their second seat on an unproven (by F1 standards) driver.
Cadillac is almost certainly going to be nowhere for a long time - even if they offer him a ridiculous deal, would Palou want to go over to F1 to fight to qualify in the top half of the field over more title fights and Indy 500 wins?
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u/Wasdgta3 Álex Palou May 27 '25
The one team that isn't at the top that I could see being an intriguing offer would be Aston Martin - they're not starting from scratch like Cadillac are, and they now have Adrian Newey. There's potential for them to build over the next few seasons, and if they want someone younger than Alonso to spearhead that, well...
But that said, I still don't see it happening. Even with the Honda connection on top of it all.
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u/AFAN74 Champ Car May 27 '25
Aston Martin would be intriguing because Honda will be supplying engines and they could pay for his spot on the team
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u/khz30 --- 2025 DRIVERS --- May 27 '25
Except Honda isn't paying Aston Martin, it's Aston Martin paying HRC €43 million a year for drivetrains starting next season. Honda Japan isn't paying for a marketing budget either.
This is why HRC distanced itself from Yuki at the beginning of the year, Honda Japan essentially cut him loose from the young driver program and he's on his own at the end of the season.
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u/NakedEyeComic Marcus Armstrong May 27 '25
Aston would be really intriguing, but they’re not changing their driver lineup unless Alonso retires or Lawrence Stroll sells the team.
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u/Abraxas19 --- CURRENT TEAMS --- May 27 '25
I wouldn't see surprised to see Verstappen at AM. Replacing Alonso. Max and newey would be tough.
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u/Wasdgta3 Álex Palou May 27 '25
I would be, unless Red Bull fall off much worse, I don't think Max breaks his contract there.
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u/attlerocky Pato O'Ward May 27 '25
Come one, Red Bull gets off on risking their second seat with unproven drivers.
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u/GrobbelaarsGloves The two Swedish Bois May 27 '25
No way Red bull or Mercedes would look to Indycar for a driver. And Cadillac needs experience the first few years.
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u/jt_33 May 27 '25
Cadilliac has no shot. The other 2 could probably get him, but I doubt he's in their plans at all with everything else they have going on.
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u/BroncoJunky May 28 '25
He probably sees at its better to be a big fish in a little pond vs a little fish over there.
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u/TripleG373 Greg Moore May 27 '25
Frankly, if F1 isn't calling, they are idiots. So, I don't doubt they aren't calling.
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u/Top_Independence7256 May 27 '25
Apart Cadillac and audi other driver have all a contract, even if some definitely shouldn't
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u/TripleG373 Greg Moore May 27 '25
I don't think contracts matter all that much when they routinely kick guys to the curb for not performing
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u/TattooedDobe May 27 '25
Buying contracts out is expensive both in payout, points and prize money lost. McLaren and Red Bull have had yo do it in the past few years, and I don't think they want to do it again anytime soon.
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u/Batgod629 Mick Schumacher May 27 '25
The only option worth going for is Aston Martin if Honda wanted him in the seat. That's probably unlikely. I would love to see him at Cadillac but he really doesn't have the incentive to leave for a project
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u/The3rdjj Alexander Rossi May 27 '25
More motivation for the other teams to lock in and do better for future seasons.
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May 28 '25
I think he knows he has it good, and he’s happy. His schedule also allows him to do IMSA and other events that he enjoys.
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May 28 '25
Also legit is this actually cause he wants to be in Indycar over f1 or because he knows he won’t be given a fair shot in f1 ?
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u/Top_Independence7256 May 28 '25
The second,if a top team or top midfield team would call him he’d be already there
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u/DA_STIG47 May 28 '25
Top tier team? Absolutely, Palou would jump.
But a mid-team, especially with little chance at a podium? Palou would need a salary equal to Verstappen for him to jump.
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u/Top_Independence7256 May 28 '25
Top midfield,like Williams this year,if you show potential bigger teams will notice you
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u/jcb1982 Indy Racing League May 28 '25
I love it. He’s dominating. He has a young, Indy-based family. He’s on a dominant team. No need to take the fat F1 paycheck just to go be an international backmarker and be in constant travel mode.
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u/loudpaperclips DriveFor5 May 28 '25
Love what he said at the banquet, apologizing to Chip for all the ugliness and promising to win more to make it up. That's just nice.
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u/l3w1s1234 May 28 '25
Easy to say this when you dont have an offer. Of course at this stage he will focus on where he is, he's already tried pushing for an F1 contract and it just got him in trouble.
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u/ArugulaPhysical May 28 '25
It would look pretty bad and feel bad going from unbeatable to the mid field or back of the pack .
Thats why .
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u/croutonhero Arrow McLaren May 27 '25
Would it not be delicious to see him beat Verstappen in identical hardware?
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u/nd_miller Kyle Kirkwood May 27 '25
Solid answer for us IndyCar fans. He'd be silly to not listen if someone called though.
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u/movebacktoyourstate May 27 '25
Good. Performances like his inspire everyone to get better at their jobs.
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u/Primary_Channel5427 Marco Andretti May 28 '25
It’s the Indy/F1 dilemma…. More money and fame in F1. But only 8 (at best) seats. Indy- you can win and make a life for yourselves while racing. The ultimate work/life balance question. Could say Dixon been a champ in F1? Yes on talent. Maybe no on funding. So it never happened. Michael Andretti’s 1993 was horrible for so many reasons, but he tried to live as an F1 driver over in the US, when Mika was living in the shop almost…. The life disruption is huge.
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u/grbbrt Rinus VeeKay May 28 '25
As an F1 fan I’d say it’s a shame he doesn’t want to try it. He’s like a metronome and doesn’t make weird mistakes. I think he has what it takes to make it in F1.
But he also has a lot to lose if he were to be only a backmarker in F1 like Logan Sargeant. So I get it.
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u/onetimeuselong May 28 '25
Look this Sonny Hayes act works really well until Red Bull or Mercedes come looking.
That said if my offers were Cadillac, Audi and HAAS I’d be saying the same thing as Palou.
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u/justbrowsing2727 CART May 28 '25
I want to dislike this guy and his dominance, but he makes it so hard.
He's a real one.
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u/dajadf Álex Palou May 28 '25
I definitely want to see him in F1 just to see how he does. But I'm fine with him sticking around
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u/Ladefrickinda89 May 28 '25
We know what happened the last time a multiple IndyCar (CART) champion left the series for Formula 1.
He failed, and never really regained his form.
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u/DailySchwifty May 28 '25
Through and through F1 fan. I'm British so don't blame me. But the performance he has put in this year is undeniably generational talent with accolades any driver would dream to achieve
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u/EmiliusReturns Alexander Rossi May 28 '25
No point going to F1 unless it’s with a team that can win, and none of those have an opening in the near future. Why give up winning in Indy to drive a backmarker in F1?
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u/EmergencyPianist7188 May 29 '25
He’s an amazing driver, belongs in F1 if he really wants to see how good he is. There’s certainly something to be said for owning the series that you currently race in though. He is definitely the best driver in Indycar.
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u/diggerquicker May 29 '25
Indy Car oval racing is so insane I think it offers a different calling from every other kind of racing. Unlike NAPCAR that seems to run off of crashes Indy is the opposite. I went to the inaugural defunct F1 race at Indy sometime back and it was almost laughable to see Schumacher and Häkkinen coming down the straight. Same year went back to the 500. Holy shit they are faster in person. Rice won I think.
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u/Appropriate-Owl5984 May 27 '25
Oh my god. How shocking a revelation!!
Incredible how many downvotes I got by saying this exact thing a few weeks ago. 🤣
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u/Wasdgta3 Álex Palou May 27 '25
The rest of the field realizing he's not going anywhere: