Since the start of the 2025 season, Red Bull has struggled to find a rhythm. With an early driver swap replacing Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda, Christian Horner being sacked in the first half of the season, and even the four-time World Champion finishing outside the top 3 more often than inside, things aren’t looking good for the Austrian team. However, a new factor might come into play that could shake up their driver lineup in 2026.
The second driver seat at Red Bull has become infamous for underperforming drivers. With only Sergio Perez being able to stay close and finish ahead of his teammate on a few occasions, it’s safe to say that only Verstappen can confidently drive the car onto the podium. Nevertheless, Red Bull hasn’t given up on the search for the perfect driver to fill the seat. As a result of that search, they have arrived at a four-time Champion from the IndyCar series.
Red Bull shows interest in ex-McLaren driver Alex Palou
While Formula 1 has only recently entered its second half of the 2025 season, IndyCar will wrap up its season this Sunday in Nashville. Despite this, Chip Ganassi Racing star Alex Palou has already clinched this year’s title. According to IndyStar sources, he has even made it onto Red Bull Racing’s radar as they showed interest in signing the 28-year-old to partner Max Verstappen from 2026 in Formula 1.
The three-peat is complete! Alex Palou wins his fourth INDYCAR championship. 🏆🏆🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/Q4Tj9zvcDK
— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) August 10, 2025
While Red Bull has confirmed their interest, Palou has actively denied being in talks with the Formula 1 team. There is, however, some drama between the Spanish IndyCar star and his team as Palou has attempted to leave the racing outfit on two separate occasions already. Should Palou want to leave the team for a drive in Formula 1, he is understood to be able to under certain conditions.
Alex Palou has a contract with Chip Ganassi Racing that ends in 2026; however, an exit clause exists that could see him leave early. According to IndyStar, Palou has a clause specifically for the opportunity to join Formula 1 at the cost of an expensive buyout. If Red Bull is serious about their interest in signing the IndyCar driver, this move turns from a possibility to a probability.
The game of ‘Musical Chairs’ at Red Bull continues into 2026
Red Bull has had three different drivers in their car over the span of four races. While this seems like oan minous statistic, the fact that Liam Lawson drove the Red Bull car for only two races was more a reflection on Red Bull’s poor management decisions than Lawson’s driving ability.
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With Yuki Tsunoda now behind the wheel and finally on the same specification as Max Verstappen, it’s a case of whether he can put the car close to his teammate in the next 10 races. Should Yuki fail to do so, then Red Bull’s interest in Palou might just spike and a deal struck for the 2026 F1 season.
With the driver market in Formula 1 slowly filling all of its seats for the 2026 season and Cadillac closing in on its driver lineup, it will be a matter of time to see what Red Bull opts for. Whether they stick by Tsunoda or go for racing royalty in Palou, the 2026 Red Bull lineup will be a pivotal part of their chances next year.
