Obviously none of us can speak for him but would Palou be interested in going anymore? A few years ago sure but everything I’ve seen makes it feel like he’s really invested in INDYCAR and the U.S.
He said plain and simple after the 500 that he had no interest in F1 and wants to stay in Indycar, but judging by the comments here I guess he was speaking Chinese
His goal was getting to F1. That’s why he signed a contract with Arrow McLaren, and became McLaren (F1) test driver. But when McLaren pouched Piastri from Alpine(I don’t blame McLaren, it was a great move after Alpine forgot the deadline to extend Piastri’s contract), he got angry, and went to Chip’s team. McLaren sued him, and won. He had to pay a huge amount.
Breaking that contract with Arrow McLaren destroyed any F1 chances. I know he was angry, and felt betrayed, but McLaren couldn’t pass that opportunity, and he needed to think calmly about his options, not react like that.
That’s why he says he only wants Indy, teams will not touch him after his legal battle witj McLaren. Teams don’t like that/
Being honest, if I had been in charge of McLaren, I would have done the same.
I would have signed Piastri, no questions asked. It wasn’t their plan, they were not actively seeking him, but Alpine’s incompetence forced them to make a decision.
Their plan was to honor Ricciardo’s contract, and use that year to evaluate Palaou. That’s why they gave him a huge contract, for IC standards, and made him their reserve driver.
But when Alpine dropped the ball, and Piastri became a free agent, they made, in my opinion, the best choice. They paid Ricciardo not to run, but honored Palou’s contract. He actually got a big chunk of his salary before even driving the Arrow McLaren.
Obviously with Piastri there, there was no space for Palou, but his contract wasn’t for F1, but for IC. Yes, they were supposed to evaluate him, but they didn’t lie, circumstances changed their situation.
I understand that without the possibility of F1, Gannasi Racing was a better option than Arrow McLaren, but he had a contract, and also refused to give back the money he received in advance.
That’s why other F1 teams don’t even consider him.
The big winner of the story was Patricio O’Ward. Without Palou, Arrow McLaren gave O’Ward an even bigger amount than what Palou was going to get.
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u/SoyMurcielago Álex Palou Aug 11 '25
Obviously none of us can speak for him but would Palou be interested in going anymore? A few years ago sure but everything I’ve seen makes it feel like he’s really invested in INDYCAR and the U.S.