In recent developments, Helmut Marko has hesitated to clear the air on Nyck de Vries’ future. So much so that the Red Bull taskmaster kept everyone in the shadows as he was reluctant to reveal if the AlphaTauri driver would be available for his home race at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix. The recent spree of underperformance by the Dutchman has the higher-ups of the Red Bull fraternity thinking about a replacement already, as they now have their eyes on an IndyCar star.
Admittedly, Alex Palou is the concerned driver here as Red Bull is eyeing a replacement already. The Spanish driver is currently in IndyCar, who drives for Chip Ganassi Racing. But most importantly, he is the reserve driver for the McLaren F1 team.
Palou is in a contractual situation when he can leave the IndyCar series and jump into an F1 seat as the American racing series will be concluded by September. Once it is done, the Spaniard will have the chance to switch before the door for the F1 opportunity slams shut.
As the developments are ongoing, Palou might be a good fit for AlphaTauri this year or might also be fitting for the Red Bull seat in 2024. Sergio Perez has been visibly struggling, and Red Bull needs to make sure they have both of their drivers firing to keep their hold in the Constructors’ championship.
With that, Marko, who now regrets a decision, is fancy poaching the McLaren talent, given how talented he is. The former GP3 driver won the IndyCar series in 2021 and is the first non-American in the world to do so. He has four wins, 20 podiums, and four pole positions in 56 races in the racing series across the Atlantic.
Marko’s reluctance on De Vries
The 80-year-old has recently opened up on de Vries and the upcoming Dutch Grand Prix. However, he was reluctant to reveal if the rookie driver would get to keep his seat.
When asked by Viaplay if the Dutchman will get to race at his home Grand Prix, Marko replied, as per Dutch Motorsport, “When is Zandvoort?”, He then added with a laugh, “I can tell you once we are in Zandvoort!”
Even though there is no surety about the AlphaTauri driver’s seat, this isn’t the first time the Red Bull higher-ups have tried to go beyond the normal feeder series to bring drivers to the team.
Alex Palou isn’t the first IndyCar driver Red Bull is after
Notably, Palou isn’t the only driver the Red Bull fraternity is eyeing. Earlier, Colton Herta was the top target for the energy drink-based team.
However, Herta did not receive the FIA Superlicence needed to drive in F1 and hence missed out on his F1 debut. Only after this did the Dutchman got his chance at AlphaTauri, combined with a remarkable performance with Williams at Monza.
But Alex Palou will not have the same problem as he already holds a superlicence. As for McLaren, they might have to leave the IndyCar star if the seat comes calling because, at McLaren, there is hardly any chance over Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri for the time being.
