Helmut Marko might have already ruled out Red Bull signing Alex Palou as Max Verstappen’s teammate

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Alex Palou has been dominating in IndyCar in the last few years, taking his third title in a row and fourth overall in the American championship.

The success in the stateside series has led to speculation that Red Bull might be interested in Palou, given that Yuki Tsunoda is set to be out of contract for the 2026 season.

It was always a given that Tsunoda was under pressure to secure his seat for next year, especially as Red Bull gave him the chance in the main team in a bid to win back the Constructors’ Championship.

So far, it hasn’t turned out that way for Red Bull, with Tsunoda only scoring seven points since he joined the Milton Keynes squad after the first two races of the season.

Snatching Palou from IndyCar would be an impressive signing given his track record, but recent comments made by Helmut Marko and highlighted by journalist Andrew Benson in his BBC Sport column suggest that it might never happen.

Helmut Marko says Red Bull makes stars rather than buying them

Red Bull have always been known for their versatile driver programme, which has produced world championship talents including Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel.

Capable talents Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, and Liam Lawson were also part of the programme, but this was before they became regular names on the grid.

Although Red Bull signed Sergio Perez in 2020 after a successful season in Racing Point, there was a shared history with former team principal Christian Horner, who ran him at his Arden GP2 team.

Red Bull have rarely bought talent from another team, and comments made by Marko might indicate that a deal to sign Palou might be wider of the mark.

“At the same time, how Red Bull are going to operate in the driver market in the future is unknown at the moment, as Christian Horner has gone, and Laurent Mekies is now working alongside motorsport adviser Helmut Marko,” wrote Benson.

“The general philosophy remains the same, though. As Marko put it when I was talking to him about drivers recently: “At Red Bull, we make stars, we don’t buy them.”

READ MORE: Who is Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko? Everything to know

Red Bull have already tried to sign talent from IndyCar to no success

This is not the first time that Red Bull have tried to sign talent from IndyCar, having approached Colton Herta for a drive at Racing Bulls (then Alpha Tauri) in 2022.

Herta didn’t have the required points needed to obtain an FIA F1 superlicence at the time, which put the brakes on any planned move away from the American series.

Palou’s success in IndyCar has earned him enough points to obtain a superlicence, while the Spaniard has also completed the required kilometres needed after Friday practice sessions and Testing of Previous Cars outings with McLaren.

But after a contract dispute with McLaren and Chip Ganassi, it seems unlikely the Spaniard would risk a move away from the success he’s currently having in IndyCar to an unknown in 2026 with Red Bull.