Verstappen discussing with Mekies and Marko during the GP of Belgium

Team boss of 'Red Bull target' lashes out at media: 'It's clickbait!

21:50, 26 Aug

Updated: 10:12, 27 Aug

byCas van de Kleut

Various sources reported earlier this week that Red Bull Racing would be interested in four-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou. According to the sources, the Spaniard would become the teammate of Max Verstappen in 2026. Chip Ganassi, the team owner of Palou's team, has since responded to the rumors.

Although Palou previously said that there are not many seats for which he would trade his current IndyCar seat, rumors started that Red Bull would want to have the Spaniard. However, in the American class he has grown into a four-time champion, which is why he would have focused on IndyCar. Before that, he was under contract with McLaren, but he never managed to get a seat.

Is the Red Bull rumor about Palou nonsense?

According to Ganassi, the rumors are completely untrue, as he answered a question from AP News: “I read that myself. There was nobody quoted in there. I talked to Palou. Palou said he’s never talked to anybody, doesn’t know anything about it. I talked to his management. They know nothing about it. I know nothing about it. I think it’s a clickbait story.”

Alex Palou dressed in Papaya before the FP1 with McLaren

In the case that Yuki Tsunoda doesn't remain, there are other options within the Red Bull family. For instance, Isack Hadjar is a possibility for 2026, while Arvid Lindblad also possibly stands a chance for a seat at the Austrian team. The British talent is seen as the 'new Verstappen' by Helmut Marko.