Red Bull chase takes major twist as driver reaches long-term contract agreement

Alex Palou’s performances have attracted interest from Red Bull (Image: Getty) Alex Palou will not be joining reigning Constructors’ Championship winners Red Bull or sister team AlphaTauri for the 2024 season and beyond. The Spanish sensation has reportedly signed a new long-term contract with Chip Ganassi Racing, extending his stay with the team for at least another few years. The Spaniard had been heavily linked with a move to AlphaTauri with Palou seen as one of many potential long-term replacements for Sergio Perez, who will almost certainly depart the Red Bull setup at the end of his contract next year.  Last week offered up a new twist in the Palou saga when news broke that the eight-time IndyCar race winner was walking away from his McLaren agreement, which would have seen him make another FP1 outing later this season. That bridge has now been burned with Zak Brown left furious.  Speaking about the Spaniard’s next move on The Week In IndyCar podcast, reporter Marshall Pruett claimed Palou has signed to stay with Chip Ganassi Racing for the long-term future. The Spanish driver’s constant contract drama should now reportedly be a thing of the past, indicating the end of his chances of joining the F1 grid in the near future and ruling him out of contention for a drive with AlphaTauri or Red Bull in the short-term.  2022 was also a season characterised by the seemingly never-ending contract saga that surrounds Palou. Alex Palou’s McLaren duties look to be a thing of the past (Image: Getty) The Spaniard was never really in the championship fight and questions about his future dominated the discourse, but a phenomenal win at the season finale at Laguna Seca served as a warning shot to the rest of the grid ahead of 2023’s dominance.  Palou’s form this season has been more than worthy of the constant links to an F1 drive. The 26-year-old has a commanding advantage at the top of the IndyCar standings heading into the final three rounds of the season.   The Barcelona-born driver will wrap up his second championship title with two rounds to spare should he emerge from the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 next weekend with a lead of 109 points or more. If the pendulum doesn’t swing his way in Illinois then the trophy will almost certainly be in his hands after the penultimate round in Portland.