Red Bull’s best answer to their F1 driver problem (and why it’ll never happen)

Jacques Villeneuve dropped a new name into the Red Bull driver conversation on Friday at the Mexican Grand Prix and, while it was laughed off by his Sky Sports co-commentators, it's worth more analysis than it was given in the moment.

Villeneuve is always a good time on an F1 broadcast – less so David Croft and Karun Chandhok acting like he's just dropped from outer space and stuck his pants on his head whenever he offers a 4/10 spicy take – and he's rarely a million miles from being right.

If you weren't watching FP1 on Friday evening, because why would you unless you're contractually obligated, the commentary trio were discussing Red Bull's options for their three non-Max Verstappen seats in the 2026 season.

The 1997 world champion's take? Isack Hadjar up to the Most Cursed Seat in F1 (TM), Liam Lawson staying in the Racing Bulls bubble for a full season for the first time in his career, to be partnered by...IndyCar champion Alex Palou.

Should Red Bull try to sign Alex Palou?

Villeneuve is absolutely right that Palou is a better bet to succeed in F1 than anyone currently driving in F2 who could hop into one of the 22 seats in the grid in 2026. There's nobody on the market better equipped to handle the pressure of a move to the biggest open-wheel racing series in the world, even if we were promoted to race alongside Verstappen.

The Spaniard is still only 28, something remarkable given his four IndyCar titles, and is fresh off the most dominant championship win of his career. He's also been interested in F1 before, as his ongoing lawsuit with McLaren (and how much would Red Bull love to rub Zak Brown's face in that?) is reminding everyone.

Of course, there is a problem here. An elephant in the room we've been deliberately not mentioning. The driver that we've just tried to convince you would work in F1...doesn't want to come to F1.

"I'm not 22," he said earlier this year, when a Red Bull rumour was mischievously planted in the media. "You cannot go to F1 as a rookie at 29 and ask for two years to learn the track and learn the car and ask them to wait for you to start to perform. You need to go there and perform immediately."

Also? "I feel like I got my shot and it didn't work."

This isn't a driver like Colton Herta, who's left IndyCar at 25 to try and earn his way into F1 with Cadillac. While it wouldn't be fair to call him an also-ran in the American series, Herta's average championship finish over the last four years is seventh. He's coming off a winless season. In a series with significantly fewer eyeballs on it than F1, he's not one of the headline stars.

Palou is the star man in IndyCar. He's won four of the last five championships. Herta's made the move to Europe to try and prove himself and earn a lucrative F1 contract, but there's no need for Palou to do that. He's proven himself as one of the greatest IndyCar drivers of all time. Hell, by the time he hangs up his helmet he could be in the record books as the greatest. Why give all that up to drive for Red Bull's Muppet Babies team?

Red Bull definitely need somebody. Putting Yuki Tsunoda back in a Racing Bull would defeat the entire point of the team – that is, one which prepares drivers for a promotion to Red Bull. Tsunoda had four years of seasoning in that environment, and still couldn't compete when he was moved up. What would putting him back in the oven do for him? The cake is already baked, this is who he is.

Tsunoda can't go back down. Most likely, it'll be a step up for Arvid Lindblad, who impressed in FP1 this weekend and looks to be the new anointed one in the Red Bull system, but it's going to take a while before he's matured.

Alex Palou would solve a lot of Red Bull's problems if he was willing to join them this winter. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen.

READ MORE: Hamilton out? Sainz linked with 'sensational Ferrari return'

Related