Freshly titled IndyCar champion Alex Palou says he hasn't shut the door on F1 but admits that his chances of one day joining motorsport's elite are now remote.
Palou, who clinched his second title in the NTT IndyCar Series with one race to spare last weekend in Portland, has severed ties with McLaren for whom the Spaniard had undertook a testing programme in F1.
Palou's association with the Woking-based outfit, which led to an FP1 outing with the team at the 2022 US Grand Prix, was to lead to his transfer to Arrows McLaren SP for 2024.
But last month, out of the blue, Palou reneged on his contractual obligations with McLaren, a move that has since led the latter to initiate legal proceedings against the Spaniard who, as part of his deal with McLaren received an advance on his salary for 2024 according to McLaren racing boss Zak Brown.
Only time will tell if the two parties put their differences to rest and settle out of court or if the case move forward. But Palou has since committed to another IndyCar season with Chip Ganassi Racing.
"I’ve been pretty much away from the media and social media, mostly so I don’t get too distracted by what’s going on off the track and I can keep giving 100 per cent, unlike last year," Palou told SoyMotor.com.
"It’s a mess that, one day, I hope to be able to explain from the inside, step by step and day by day, the options we had and the ones we didn’t have. But it’s clear that we have the best tools we could ask for in IndyCar."
Palou was offered a driver development programme with McLaren after winning his first IndyCar title in 2021. But the 26-year-old suggests that his collaboration led to a dead-end as there was no opportunity to race in F1 with the team on the horizon.
"I think with what happened in 2021, that after winning the championship we had the opportunity to test an F1 car and to be part of McLaren, I think it was a sign that I hadn’t completely forgotten about Formula 1," he explained.
"I’ve always said that, for me, [F1] is not the only focus and I wouldn’t give it all up for F1 at any price, but at the same time I know it’s the top class of motorsport, with the biggest teams and brands, and obviously I’d like to be part of it, but only with a good option and not at any price.
"The opportunity I have here in the United States is great and I don’t want to give it up for a chance. We tried, we got in the car and I think we did a good job, but the opportunity didn’t come out."
"For my part, I couldn’t do anything else, so I don’t think another opportunity will come, because I’m getting too old for the F1 world."
Palou hasn't completely shut the door on F1, but he admits that chances of opportunity to come knocking are slim.
"We’ll wait, we’ll keep winning as much as we can in IndyCar and if an opportunity comes, we’ll welcome it; if it doesn’t, that’s fine, we’ll keep trying to get wins and championships in IndyCar," he said.
"The door is not closed, not at all. But it’s not the same being 27 years old – next year – and having to wait two more years… as being 21 years old.
"I don’t think the door is 100% closed, but I’m not waiting for it either. I know that the moment has maybe passed.
"With 2021 and this one, if an opportunity hasn’t come, it’s going to be difficult to repeat a season like this one."
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