Racing legend says Alex Palou should enter F1, but only under one condition

Racing legend Mario Andretti knows a thing or two about the Indy 500 and Formula 1 as the only driver to be crowned a champion of both, and he believes the most recent victor of the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing” should only make a move to the "Pinnacle of Motorsport” if the right team comes calling.

“I know he’s talented, but he’s fresh, and the best opportunity for him is to go to a top team that allows him to achieve results,” Andretti said to reporters from MARCA in December. “His talent will surely give him that opportunity.

“I was lucky enough to win my first race with Ferrari and the championship with Lotus, teams that allowed you to achieve victories. He has to do the same. If he decides to go to F1, it will surely be with a top team.”

The 1978 Formula 1 world champion is acting as a non-executive director for Cadillac, Formula 1’s 11th team. The newest program signed veterans Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez for the upcoming 2026 season, although reports indicate that Palou was considered for one of the seats before the two were inked to deals.

Palou has already followed in Andretti’s footsteps in America, but the question remains whether he will follow suit internationally.

The 28-year-old Palou is coming off one of the finest IndyCar seasons ever. He clinched his fourth series championship and his first Indy 500, two accolades that Andretti also shares after registering series titles in 1965, 1966, 1969, and 1984, as well as the 1969 Indy 500. Palou also won the series titles in 2021, 2023, and 2024.

Andretti, now 85, knows talent, and it’s hard to overlook what Palou has accomplished in American open-wheel racing. Andretti Global have already helped an American of their own begin the process of potentially realizing an F1 dream, that being Colton Herta.

Herta is not only slated to be a Formula 1 test driver for Cadilliac, either. The newest team on the Formula 1 grid negotiated a contract for Herta’s Formula 2 seat this coming season as the 25-year-old California native makes the transition from IndyCar.

This move, albeit not as convenient as directly signing with a Formula 1 team to compete in the bigger series, should help him earn enough Super License points and get him used to the tracks on the circuit. Reports indicate Herta is projected to be in consideration for a seat once again in 2027, which would put him very much in the same timeline age-wise that Palou is in right now.

And while Herta has nine IndyCar wins under his belt, plus the distinction of being the youngest driver to ever win an IndyCar race, he’s still not Palou, who had already won his first IndyCar Series crown at the age of 24.

Since then, Palou has done nothing but continue to get better, too.

The Spaniard reeled off eight victories in a single season, mastering ovals, road courses, and street circuits – the hallmark of the challenging and often underrated IndyCar Series, especially when it's compared to Formula 1.

Andretti believes Palou likely has the itch to at the very least try Formula 1 at some point in his career, even if Palou has said on numerous occasions that that ship has sailed. Andretti acknowledged that he wouldn’t have been happy with his career if he hadn’t made the effort for Formula 1 himself.

Palou’s well-documented drama with McLaren in 2022 shifted the young driver’s focus back to IndyCar, where he’s done nothing but dominate since, likely improving his projected Formula 1 test driver status from that period to being a legitimate contender for a top open seat in the next year or two if one becomes available.

Palou certainly isn’t short on talent, something Andretti and the rest of the world knows for sure. But whether the right drive in F1 comes along is another discussion entirely.