IndyCar series leader Alex Palou says he would have no interest in turning his back on his success in the US just for the sake of making up the numbers in Formula 1.
The Chip Ganassi Racing driver is currently at the top of the NTT IndyCar Series' championship with four races to go, but the Spaniard's margin over Arrow McLaren SP charger Pato O'Ward decreased to just 21 points following his retirement from last weekend's Big Machine Spiked Grand Prix at Indianapolis.
As ever when a young talented driver leads the field in IndyCar, speculative talk of a move to Formula 1 emerges.
Last year, IndyCar winner Colton Herta was singled out as the perfect candidate to make the switch before the young American committed to a multi-year deal with Andretti Autosport.
Now, the clamour for a move to F1 is directed at Palou, but the 24-year-old racer isn't interested in a return to the old continent.
"To me F1 - it’s obviously the premier category, but there are only 20 people in the world who are dedicated to it," he told Mundo Deportivo.
"I had to find a way to be a professional driver. I didn’t care if it was in formulas, cars or tractors. Something that had four wheels and a steering wheel.
"My dream was to get to IndyCar, because of the American dream, because of how competitive the Championship is.
"I have been able to fulfill it and I have been very lucky for the people, contacts and sponsors who have helped me. I’m very happy to be in the IndyCar.
Palou rightfully argues that almost any driver on the IndyCar grid can vie for a win at any given race, a state of affairs that has never existed in modern F1 where the usual suspects – teams and drivers – fight exclusively among themselves, unless special circumstances prevail.
"Here, 98% of drivers have chances to win every race and that’s something that doesn’t happen in F1. It’s what makes you want to go to the next race," he said.
"Here, every day I wake up super happy. I’m happy. I can win races. I’m in one of the biggest teams.
"What fills me the most after a race is having won it. Going to F1 because it’s more popular, you’re going to be on TV more and you’re going to have better photos for Instagram, but you’re going to be 17th, 15th or 12th on the grid… it’s not so funny to me.
"I am very happy here. The races are very big. We have the Indianapolis 500. There are only two teams and four drivers in F1 who can win races and it’s something that doesn’t fill you as much as winning here."
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