Palou denies Red Bull F1 contact amid 2026 seat rumors

Alex Palou firmly denied this week that he has been contacted by Red Bull about a move to Formula 1, calling recent reports linking him to a 2026 seat unfounded as he prepares to close out another dominant IndyCar season at Nashville Superspeedway. The 28 year old Spaniard, who has won eight of 16 races this year including the Indianapolis 500 and clinched his fourth title in five seasons, said there has been "nothing, nothing at all" from Red Bull and that neither he nor his management have been approached.

Palou repeated that position in comments to reporters on Tuesday, saying the rumor may have been started by "a manager for some other driver in IndyCar who would like to have my seat." His manager, Roger Yasukawa, also said he had not been contacted by any F1 team. Chip Ganassi, Palou's team owner, dismissed the speculation as "clickbait," saying he had spoken to Palou and the driver's management and found no corroboration. A Red Bull spokesperson likewise told reporters the links were untrue.

The claims emerged amid industry conversation about 2026, when sweeping regulation changes will reset many technical variables and prompt teams to evaluate their driver lineups. That...