Max Verstappen’s sim racing teammate and IndyCar star Alex Palou might replace Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri, claims Nelson Piquet Jr.

According to Nelson Piquet Jr, the IndyCar champion Alex Palou is eyeing Nyck de Vries’ seat at AlphaTauri.

Max Verstappen’s sim racing teammate and IndyCar star Alex Palou might replace Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri, claims Nelson Piquet Jr.

Max Verstappen, Alex Palou and Nyck de Vries. (Images via British GQ, The Independent and Automundo)

F1 driver Max Verstappen and IndyCar driver Alex Palou have something in common apart from their championships. It is their love for sim racing. Verstappen returned to sim racing in the Team Redline car shared with Palou. However, it was met with drama after a crash at the start of the Virtual Sebring 12 Hours. It is safe to say that the two of them are acquainted. 

According to Nelson Piquet Jr., a former Formula 1 driver and the brother of Max Verstappen’s partner, Alex Palou might make his F1 debut soon. The 37-year-old opened up on the Pelas Pistas podcast about Palou targeting a seat at AlphaTauri. Piquet Jr. said he heard that the IndyCar champion was looking to occupy Nyck de Vries’ seat at the Red Bull sister team. 

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Nelson Piquet Jr. explained that Alex Palou’s connections with Red Bull champion Max Verstappen would help him secure the AlphaTauri seat. It is no secret that Nyck de Vries is struggling this season. He failed to score points in the first eight races of the year. Hence, there have been rumors about AlphaTauri replacing him. And Piquet Jr. believes it would be Alex Palou who would take his seat. 

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Alex Palou has a successful record in IndyCar

Alex Palou (Image via Fox News)
Alex Palou (Image via Fox News)

Palou is a Chip Ganassi Racing IndyCar Series driver who won the 2021 championship. There have been comparisons of him with Max Verstappen in Formula 1. Palou won three of the last four IndyCar races and is ahead of teammate Marcus Ericsson by 74 points. It is similar to Verstappen who has won 6 Formula 1 races this season. He is 69 points ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez in the F1 drivers’ championship standings.

Alex Palou is the McLaren F1 team’s official reserve driver for the 2023 season. Hence, he is close to the series already. He also participated in a free practice session for McLaren in Austin last season. Despite the rumors of him replacing Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri, Palou stated it was too early to talk about a move into Formula 1. 

https://twitter.com/texugosertao/status/1670765569530904576

In any case, when Alex Palou is ready to move to the pinnacle of motorsports, the connections he made will come in handy. His career plan included leaving Chip Ganassi Racing for Arrow McLaren in the IndyCar series. However, he was sued and had to remain bound to the team this season. He still plans to move to Arrow McLaren next year. Amid all this, the question is if he wants to become a Formula 1 driver in 2024. 

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