Hyped McLaren driver reveals chances of an F1 drive

Alex Palou, McLaren, United States GP, 2022 — Photo: © LAT Images

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Hyped McLaren driver reveals chances of an F1 drive

Two-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou has addressed his uncertain future

Dan Davis

Sunday 10 September 2023 22:57

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Two-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou has admitted he is unlikely to be handed a Formula 1 opportunity, with his focus remaining on single-seater racing in the US.

Palou recently clinched his second IndyCar championship and has extended his relationship with Chip Ganassi Racing, severing his ties with McLaren in the process. However, Palou and McLaren have been locked in a legal battle.

Zak Brown, McLaren Racing's CEO, claimed Palou has a signed contract with Arrows McLaren for 2024 and that he has received an advance on his wages.

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Palou had revealed he was leaving Ganassi last year to join McLaren, although a legal case settled out of court kept him with the US-based team and also ensured an opportunity to test in F1 in a reserve driver role.

He is not expected to report for duty at the Singapore Grand Prix, though, and now appears to have given up fully on his F1 dream to concentrate on IndyCar.

Palou is not expected to report for duty with McLaren in Singapore

'I'm not going to sit around and wait'

"For me, Formula 1 has never been the only goal. I'm not going to give up everything to get into Formula 1 at all costs," he said, via Formule1.nl.

"At the same time, I also know that it is the king class of motorsport, with the biggest names and brands. Of course, I would love to be a part of that.

"But with a good choice and not at all costs. The opportunities I have in America are great, and I don't want to sacrifice that to have a chance to get into F1.

"I tried, I was in that car and I think I did pretty well, but the chances didn't come. I don't think I could have done anything else, so the opportunity probably won't arise now. I'm starting to get too old for the F1 world. But I'm going to wait and see.

"I will continue to win as much as I can in IndyCar. If another opportunity arises, that's great. If not, it's okay, I'll just keep trying in IndyCar. It's not quite the end of the story, absolutely not. But next year I'll be 27, and that's really different from 21.

"The opportunity may still come, but I'm not going to sit around and wait. If the opportunity hasn't presented itself now, it's unlikely to happen."