Sainz fires F1 'monster' warning at IndyCar champion

Alex Palou aboard his Honda powered Chip Ganassi Racing car has dominated Indycar for the past five years winning four out of five possible drivers' titles, three of them on the trot.

Rumours that surfaced in American media suggested Palou was in Red Bull's radar to occupy the cockpit next to Max Verstappen. Said rumblings, though, were disproven by Palou's entourage and later on by Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko. The IndyCar champion himself also shot down any claims of a potential switch to Red Bull.

When asked regarding Palou's hypothetical chances of success in Formula One, Sainz said: "I can only say what I see in IndyCar is that he's doing an incredible job."

However, F1 is a whole other ball-game, the Williams driver believes, whilst at the same time acknowledging the level at which his fellow Spaniard is performing in the American open wheel racing series.

"F1 is a completely different monster," Sainz said. "Both as a driver, as a car, but also as a formula it's very different, I think, from anything else.

In 2022 McLaren CEO Zak Brown tried to poach Palou from CGR to sign him for the British automobile brand's IndyCar co-owned team Arrow McLaren.

This prompted a legal battle between both parties with the Spaniard siding with McLaren. However, Chip Ganassi Racing and McLaren reached a settlement where Palou would see out his contract with CGR whilst undertaking reserve driver duties for McLaren in F1 on dates that didn't overlap with the IndyCar championship.

Ahead of the 2023 F1 season, McLaren signed Oscar Piastri to partner Lando Norris who by then was already seen as a landmark of the papaya coloured team. 15 races into the season the Woking-based team extended the duration of his contract until at least 2026.

With his F1 aspirations cut down, and Arrow McLaren unable to fight for titles in IndyCar Palou chose to break the pre-established agreement he had with McLaren and remain with Chip Ganassi publicly forefeiting his goal of reaching F1. Legal proceedings that see McLaren seeking around $20 million dollar in damages from Palou have now begun in London.

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