Helmut Marko reportedly wants to replace Nyck de Vries with IndyCar star Alex Palou at Alpha Tauri

Helmut Marko could sign IndyCar driver Alex Palou for Alpha Tauri with the possibility of a promotion to Red Bull in the future.

Helmut Marko reportedly wants to replace Nyck de Vries with IndyCar star Alex Palou at Alpha Tauri

Helmut Marko (image via Formula1news.co.uk), Alex Pulao (image via F1i.com), Nyck de Vries (image via GP33)

Alex Palou is an IndyCar driver often seen in the F1 paddock. Palou is the McLaren F1 reserve for 2023 after a failed attempt to race for Woking’s IndyCar team previously. The Spanish driver is on the radar of rival teams on the F1 grid, including Red Bull, with Dr. Helmut Marko potentially considering the 26-year-old for an Alpha Tauri seat.

Nyck de Vries has failed to deliver decent results for the Red Bull sister team in his rookie season. As per reports, the Dutch driver might lose his drive before the end of the 2023 season. Marko highly regards Alex Palou and could offer the Spanish driver a seat at the Faenza-based team in September this year when the IndyCar season ends.

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This could allow Alex Palou to get some experience in the sport before a full season in 2024, with the possibility of racing for Red Bull later down the line. The 26-year-old is currently in a contractual window that could allow him to race in F1. Although, McLaren does not have any plans of giving Palou a seat on its F1 team for now.

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Are Red Bull planning to drop Sergio Perez?

Sergio Perez and Helmut Marko in the Red Bull garage (image via PlanetF1)
Sergio Perez and Helmut Marko in the Red Bull garage (image via PlanetF1)

Palou’s switch to Alpha Tauri could allow the Spanish driver to open the door for eventually replacing Sergio Perez at Milton Keynes. Perez has failed to impress Red Bull with a string of Q2 eliminations in the past four races, with the Mexican driver only having two wins compared to Max Verstappen’s seven victories.

Moreover, it is believed that Milton Keynes is prepared to have Daniel Ricciardo replace Perez for a couple of seasons. This would allow Red Bull to promote one of its young drivers later. Nonetheless, Palou would consider an opportunity to race in the pinnacle of motorsport if he does receive an offer from Alpha Tauri to replace Nyck de Vries.

Thus, it seems that Dr. Helmut Marko has lost his patience with Nyck de Vries. The Red Bull consultant is eager to sign Alex Palou in place of the Dutch driver at Alpha Tauri. This would allow Palou to demonstrate his talent in Formula 1 while possibly racing for a top team in the future if he can convince Red Bull with his performances.

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