IndyCar Champion Breaks Silence on Joining Max Verstappen at Red Bull Rumors

Reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou broke his silence on rumors of partnering Max Verstappen at Red Bull.

IndyCar Champion Breaks Silence on Joining Max Verstappen at Red Bull Rumors

Alex Palou and Max Verstappen (images via IMAGO)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Red Bull Racing is still looking to find the right teammate for reigning world champion Max Verstappen. This year’s experiments with Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda have not worked out for Milton Keynes. Recently rumors emerged that IndyCar champion Alex Palou could be poached by the Austrian team. Now, Palou has spoken up on such speculation.

Alex Palou is a four-time IndyCar champion, having won this year’s title. The Spanish driver is currently dominating the American open-wheel series. This could make him the ideal teammate for Max Verstappen. After all, Palou seems to be at the peak of his career, making him capable of ending the second driver curse at Red Bull.

However, the IndyCar champion dismissed these rumors. Alex Palou made it clear that he has not been contacted by anyone for a move to Formula 1 next year, let alone as Max Verstappen’s teammate. Rather, Palou claimed that the rumors were triggered by the manager of a rival IndyCar driver. The unnamed rival wanted to get the Spaniard’s seat at Chip Ganassi Racing and thus his management tried to create some chatter in the paddock.

There’s been nothing, nothing at all. We have heard nothing from anyone. The only thing I’ve heard was it was a manager for some other driver in IndyCar who would like to have my seat who said it to start something.

Alex Palou told AP

This is not the first time Alex Palou has been linked to Formula 1. The Chip Ganassi Racing star previously tested for McLaren in the sport in 2022. He even signed a deal with the Woking-based team for the following season with the potential for a switch to F1. This led to a legal fight between Chip Ganassi Racing and McLaren.

Ultimately, Palou decided to double-down on his commitment to IndyCar with Chip Ganassi Racing after he claimed that McLaren was not serious towards a switch to F1 for him. This started another legal battle, which is going on to this day.

Chip Ganassi calls Alex Palou partnering Max Verstappen report ‘clickbait’

American racing icon Chip Ganassi did not hesitate from speaking up on the rumors either. The IndyCar team owner was quick to defend his driver from ever-increasing media speculation.

Alex Palou and Chip Ganassi
Alex Palou and Chip Ganassi (via Penske Entertainment)

Ganassi claimed that he had read the media reports and did not see any reliable sources. Moreover, the American legend revealed that he had a conversation with Alex Palou. Palou told Chip Ganassi that he had not held talks with anyone over a move to F1, even as Max Verstappen’s potential teammate. He further mentioned that this was nothing more than a clickbait story on his driver. The veteran joked that reporters need to do some investigative journalism to find the root cause.

I read that myself, and there was nobody quoted in there. I talked to Palou, and Palou says he’s never talked to anybody about it. I talked to his management and they know nothing about it, and I know nothing about it. I think it’s a clickbait story and somebody needs to brush up on their investigative journalism.

Chip Ganassi told AP

Certainly, Alex Palou and Chip Ganassi are not happy with the recent rumors. The two figures have made it clear that Palou will remain in IndyCar. The Spanish driver is dominating the championship with four titles and does not need to seek a new challenge just yet. On the other hand, Max Verstappen and Red Bull have remained silent over such speculation.

Read More: Ex-F1 Driver Declares Max Verstappen ‘CRUCIAL’ for Red Bull Amid Talent Exodus