Sergio Perez is below contract with Crimson Bull by the 2024 Components 1 season, however speak has already begun about who would possibly change him.

Crimson Bull’s Components 1 driver lineup is among the few which might be already set for the 2024 season. Early final season, now two-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen signed a mega-deal to stay with the Milton Keynes-based crew by not less than the 2028 season, and shortly thereafter, Sergio Perez prolonged his deal by 2024.

Whereas the hypothesis that Perez, who has received 5 races since becoming a member of the crew two years in the past, might be dropped a 12 months early is kind of actually primarily based on nothing greater than the cooked-up concept that Verstappen “desires him changed”, it’s trying more and more unlikely that the crew will prolong his deal into 2025 and past.

Perez opened up the 2023 season trying like he might compete with Verstappen for the world championship and turn into a modern-day Nico Rosberg. However since he was poised to take the factors lead away from Verstappen in Miami, he has recorded just one podium end in three races, three races Verstappen has received, and he has did not get into Q3.

The standard names talked about at any time when a seat with a prime crew opens up are unsurprisingly being talked about on this area as nicely. The current wakeboarding attire selection of Lando Norris had followers speaking about this very topic.

Nonetheless, what Crimson Bull ought to do is make a seemingly daring transfer and signal a driver from exterior Components 1 for 2024 with the intention of getting him shifting into Perez’s seat in 2025. That driver needs to be Alex Palou.

Final summer season, Palou’s IndyCar crew, Chip Ganassi Racing, introduced that that they had picked up an possibility to increase his contract. Mere hours later, McLaren — and never particularly the McLaren IndyCar crew, Arrow McLaren — introduced that that they had signed him for 2023. Palou made clear his intention to affix the latter.

Lengthy story brief, Palou did find yourself again with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2023, all whereas taking up a brand new function as McLaren reserve driver on the Components 1 aspect.

Now right here we’re in an identical state of affairs in 2023. The final assumption has been that Palou will make the complete transfer to McLaren in 2024, although Chip Ganassi has made clear that he can be completely satisfied to have the 26-year-old Spaniard again for what can be a fourth season with the crew subsequent 12 months.

However this time round, Palou holds all of the playing cards concerning his Chip Ganassi Racing future, or lack thereof, supplied he waits till September if he opts to go elsewhere.

The logical touchdown spot for Palou amid a possible transfer to McLaren is Arrow McLaren’s IndyCar crew, presumably because the substitute for Felix Rosenqvist, whom he mockingly changed at Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021. Or, he might be a part of as the motive force of a fourth full-time entry that doesn’t but exist.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are each below contract with the McLaren Components 1 crew by 2024, with the previous signed by 2025.

Primarily based on the crew’s lack of efficiency, there may be hypothesis that Norris might go away early, however Piastri figures to be a focus of the crew’s future after coping with his personal Palou-like state of affairs final summer season, when he joined McLaren regardless of Alpine claiming that he can be in considered one of their two seats.

One other lengthy story brief, a spot on the McLaren Components 1 crew for 2024 — and even past that — doesn’t seem all that doubtless for Alex Palou.

However RACER.com’s Marshall Pruett not too long ago reported that these inside Palou’s administration camp have been searching for out a number of potential alternatives for his or her consumer within the Components 1 paddock.

There isn’t any method of realizing how these talks have gone nor with whom all they’ve been held, and all you usually get is an “I’m simply trying ahead to operating nicely this weekend” response if you happen to ask about it.

Nevertheless it doesn’t take a lot investigative reporting to totally grasp what’s being implied right here: McLaren isn’t the one Components 1 risk for Palou, a driver whose coronary heart appeared set on a full transfer to the papaya outfit lower than 12 months in the past.

Except for the truth that a vacant seat doesn’t look like within the Woking-based crew’s fast future, the much more apparent truth to contemplate is that McLaren merely haven’t been in a position to compete at a excessive stage in Components 1. Sitting in sixth place within the constructor standings, they’re struggling to attain factors frequently.

Is that actually one thing for which Palou would hand over an IndyCar seat through which he is usually a championship contender for the subsequent decade-plus?

However Crimson Bull are in a a lot completely different place, and so they have what it takes to make touchdown Alex Palou a actuality.

The Milton Keynes-based crew ought to have Palou signal with AlphaTauri in 2024 with the intention of getting him take over Perez’s seat in 2025. If he performs nicely with the sister crew, the seat alongside Verstappen turns into his to lose. If not, not less than he is aware of the place his future isn’t.

Neither Nyck de Vries nor Yuki Tsunoda is below contract with AlphaTauri for 2024, and there may be common consensus that this lineup will take a look at least considerably completely different subsequent 12 months. De Vries has struggled mightily since becoming a member of the crew this season, and Tsunoda remains to be seen by many as not doing sufficient for a driver in his third season within the sport.

The query that will be requested, particularly if Palou performs nicely, is that if potential success at Crimson Bull might end in a teammate battle with Verstappen.

However Palou is as easy of a driver as they arrive. He isn’t the kind to ruffle any feathers. Whereas there can be some who declare that Verstappen is the precedence throughout the crew and Palou wouldn’t have an opportunity for that purpose, these are the identical people who really thought Perez had the benefit over his teammate only a few brief weeks in the past.

That crowd will change their story on a weekly foundation to go well with the “By no means Max” narrative and shouldn’t be taken significantly in terms of Crimson Bull’s subsequent driver resolution.

Everyone knows that merely hanging with Verstappen is a tall activity, however Palou has actually dominated three of the final eight races on the planet’s best racing collection. And for the report, much more than two automobiles have an opportunity to win races in IndyCar.

Plus, let’s simplify issues even additional. If there are any drivers who can really compete with Verstappen, they’re clearly not in Components 1 in the intervening time. That’s simply the present actuality of the game.

Amongst drivers not in Components 1, Palou, who already possesses an FIA Tremendous License, actually tops the listing of expertise. You merely can not argue that he isn’t simply as expert as anyone else on the Components 1 grid behind the wheel of an open-wheel race automobile.

Earlier than subsequent season ends, Palou is about to be 27 years outdated. You don’t usually see a driver beginning his Components 1 profession at that age. However AlphaTauri signed a 28-year-old rookie this 12 months in de Vries, so there may be precedent for the sort of signing by this explicit group.

Are there different groups that might have vacant seats within the close to future? Positive. However no aggressive crew in Components 1 may give Palou a seat immediately like Crimson Bull can by AlphaTauri. It’s fairly actually how Verstappen ended up with Crimson Bull as a substitute of Mercedes.

It’s onerous to see Palou giving up a championship-caliber IndyCar experience to affix a barely much less potent IndyCar crew. It’s additionally onerous to see him giving up mentioned experience to run twelfth or thirteenth in Components 1 each week. However to affix Components 1 with the prospect of competing for a world championship-caliber crew? That’s a special story. And it’s a narrative that Christian Horner, Helmut Marko, and firm want to start out writing.