Palou: I'm too old to wait for someone to get hurt to do F1

Zak Brown's F1 team is suing Palou for breach of contract claiming that amount from the Spanish driver who signed to drive for Chip Ganassi in Indycar this year. The 26-year-old will be hunting a third crown in America's premier open-wheel series to add to his 2021 and 2023 titles.

In an interview with the Associated Press, ahead of the Daytona 24 Hours, Palou explained why he saw no F1 drive with McLaren in his future: "There were no signs that anything was going to open for me in F1.

As an F1 reserve, the only chance of a drive is if one of the regular drivers gets sick or is injured. Lando Norris and Oscar Poiastri are among the youngest driver line-ups on the F1 grid, extremely firm and unlikely to be sitting out any races this season unless fate decides otherwise.

“I'm too old to wait for someone to get hurt [to do F1] and that is how I can get my chance. Pato can wait for someone to get hurt," Palou said, referencing fellow Indycar driver Pato O'Ward who is McLaren's 2024 F1 reserve.

At next weekend's Rolex Daytona 24 Hours endurance race, Palou is a late addition to the Ganassi Cadillac squad, alongside Indycar teammate Scott Dixon, as well as former F1 driver Sebastien Bourdais and sports car ace Renger van der Zande.

“I think this drama has made us a lot closer," reckoned Palou of his relationship with Chip Ganassi, who he raced for before and returns as a prodigal son of sorts. "Why? I don’t know. Now we just have a normal relationship.

"When you break up one time with your girlfriend, then you are even better because you understand each other and all of the previous issues. Suddenly it’s a better relationship," ventured Palou.

With F1 unlikely for the foreseeable, Palou said of his goals: “We’ll try and get many Indycar championships if we can, and we’ll try and fight for as many championships and Indy 500s as possible."

Brown and McLaren are fully committed to their current wo drivers: "We have Lando under contract for another couple of years, of course we are in dialogue with him on a continuous basis," Brown told reporters at a livery launch at the team's Woking headquarters.

"We’re very focused now here obviously on the short term, but 2026 is not far away and we recognise that being able to retain Lando and Oscar for the foreseeable future is definitely a key element and something that is a high priority for us," said Brown. Effectively putting the 'House-Full' sign in terms of wannabe F1 drivers for the near future at Woking.