The speculations surrounding Red Bull racer Sergio Perez’s future could impact the driver market greatly. Since the Mexican has delivered several underwhelming performances recently, there are rumors that McLaren’s Lando Norris could replace him. And if that happens, then young American prospect Alex Palou could join the McLaren team.
Red Bull also has a history when it comes to tracking Norris. The Milton Keynes outfit’s advisor Helmut Marko revealed once that his team have previously also attempted to sign the Briton.
While speaking to Sport24auto (as quoted by news.com.au), Marko admitted, “We’ve had talks with him.” However, the 80-year-old added that since Norris has a long-term contract with McLaren, Red Bull never got to sign him.
McLaren is ready to replace Lando Norris if the Briton leaves
Even though McLaren is delighted with their current driver line-up of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, they are not at risk if any of them chooses to leave. This is because the British outfit has a lot of talent in their reserve driver line-up, which includes Alex Palou.
Speaking of the same, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella recently told formula passion.it, “We have the privilege of two starting riders with solid prospects. Norris is already more established, while Piastri is a rising star. But Palou’s past and present accomplishments are staggering and we are very happy to have him as a reserve driver“.
After stating this, Stella added that McLaren could not wait to have Palou back in their team after the American finishes his commitments with IndyCar this season. The 52-year-old then concluded his remarks by stating that he does not doubt that Palou will become an F1 driver if he continues to perform at the level he is currently performing at. Considering Stella’s remarks, it seems McLaren already has a replacement lined up if Norris leaves.
Zak Brown has also previously praised Alex Palou
At the start of this year, McLaren CEO Zak Brown gave an interview where he suggested that Alex Palou could have his opportunity in F1 after his stint with IndyCar ends this year. However, he did make it clear that he cannot guarantee the same and that the team will need to evaluate the same.
While speaking to racingnews365.com, Brown said, “I would think and hope that he’d (Palou) be eligible for it at the end of the IndyCar season [in 2023], but [there are] no promises [beyond that] other than opportunity“.
Since Brown has suggested that he is open to giving Palou an opportunity if one comes up, it shows how highly he rates the 26-year-old American. And at the same time, it also shows how well McLaren has scouted their talent.
