(Motorsports news) Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing has been testing older cars as a reserve for the McLaren F1 team before he was anticipated to join the Arrow McLaren IndyCar team next year. Palou won his second IndyCar championship for the company at Portland last weekend. This was believed to be a step of his prospective future inclusion in the McLaren F1 driver roster being evaluated.
But his choice to stay with Ganassi and do a U-turn on his McLaren move at the beginning of August has put an end to his F1 aspirations. On Wednesday, Palou addressed a select group of journalists in Pebble Beach in California. Given his age and the fact that there is no absolute assurance of a racing career in F1, he outlined how his attitude toward the sport has changed in recent years.
“There’s no hiding, like, if you look at my interviews up until ’21, I was saying that I was not focused on F1 at all,” he remarked. “And it was absolutely true, but after I won the title, just because I was 24 years old, everything changed. On Wednesday, Palou addressed a select group of journalists in Pebble Beach in California, including Motorsport.com. Given his age and the fact that there is no absolute assurance of a racing career in F1, he outlined how his attitude toward the sport has changed in recent years.
“There’s no hiding, like, if you look at my interviews up until ’21, I was saying that I was not focused on F1 at all,” he remarked. “And it was absolutely true, but after I won the title, just because I was 24 years old, everything changed. “After winning my first significant championship, I thought, ‘What if I try something?'” Although things could not go as planned, when I return to IndyCar at the age of 27, I’m still quite youthful and capable of continuing to compete for another 15 to 10 years.
“So, it changed, then. When McLaren entered, the entrance somewhat widened. It was incredible. At COTA last year, I had the incredible opportunity to test the [F1] cars as well as Practice One. The possibility was fantastic, but nothing else was there guaranteeing that you would have a car.
When asked if he was still considering making the transition to Formula One after winning the championship in Portland on Sunday, Palou responded, “No, I mentioned it many times that it was not my totally focus. I felt that I had to seize opportunities when they presented themselves.
However, I am aware that I am neither 21 nor 19. It’s nice that I’m already 26. I’m not claiming I’m old, but I’m also not exactly youthful either. So, I’ll be 27 next year. I will definitely, 100% consider it if a F1 opportunity arises in the future, which has really, really slim odds.
“But I’m truly thrilled. I believe I’ll have a successful career as long as I continue to compete for and win championships in races and championships. Palou has been advised by his attorneys not to address any contractual issues because McLaren has filed a lawsuit against him in the UK High Court.
When questioned about his reaction to McLaren’s move, he said: “No, I was anticipating it. Maybe not in that manner of doing things, I mean. However, I was certain that there would be some movement, and I was anticipating it sooner rather than later.
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