Red Bull keen to sign ‘very impressive’ 2026 Yuki Tsunoda replacement with ‘lucrative’ buyout clause

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Red Bull Racing know they have a crisis on their hands when it comes to their second driver situation.

In the past two seasons, Red Bull have watched Max Verstappen destroy Sergio Perez’s confidence and seen Liam Lawson demoted after just two races.

Yuki Tsunoda is the current incumbent of that seat, but his form has been worrying, to say the least.

Since his promotion from Racing Bulls, Tsunoda has scored seven points in 12 race weekends.

Tsunoda’s contract expires at the end of the season, and he needs to seriously improve his results to convince new team principal Laurent Mekies and senior Red Bull staff that he deserves a new deal.

However, there are suggestions that Tsunoda’s future is out of his hands, and if that’s the case, then Red Bull might already be eyeing up a replacement.

Remarkably, the team appear to be looking outside of the Formula 1 sphere, with interest in IndyCar star Alex Palou now emerging.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

Red Bull have expressed an interest in replacing Yuki Tsunoda with Alex Palou in 2026

A report from the American outlet IndyStar has shared more details about Red Bull’s interest in the Spaniard.

The 28-year-old grew up racing against the likes of George Russell in karting, and raced in GP3 and briefly Formula 2 before making the switch to IndyCar.

After his debut season with Dale Coyne Racing, Palou has been unstoppable and just wrapped up his fourth drivers’ championship in five seasons with Chip Ganassi Racing.

The report suggests that Red Bull have ‘expressed interest’ in signing Palou for 2026 to partner Verstappen.

The driver, his manager, and Chip Ganassi have all denied that talks with Red Bull have taken place at this stage, with the IndyCar team expecting him to continue racing for them in 2026 and beyond.

However, Red Bull have been interested in Palou before, and it’s believed that the latest contract he signed has a get-out clause with a ‘lucrative’ buy-out option if a Formula 1 team comes calling.

Speaking about his future to IndyStar, he said: “There’s not many seats I’d consider changing [for].

“I don’t really know [if] there are many seats I’d want to be in compared to the No.10 car right now. It’s pretty tough to beat.

“The fun part of being a racecar driver isn’t being famous. I like winning races.”

READ MORE: Alex Palou named as possible contender for 2025 Audi seat alongside Nico Hulkenberg

What Zak Brown previously said about Alex Palou when he was driving for McLaren

This isn’t the first time that Palou has been linked with a Formula 1 team, having previously been employed by McLaren.

Palou acted as McLaren’s reserve driver for several years, and in an interview with Autosport in 2023, Brown said: “Alex has been very impressive in IndyCar. “The competition there is fierce. So, for him to win as many races as he has in the fashion in which he’s done, it is very impressive.

“He’s our reserve driver and will be joining us at the end of the year for the remaining Formula 1 races, so he’s definitely a strong, strong talent.”

However, Palou and McLaren’s relationship didn’t end well, with question marks over the legitimacy of the contract he signed, and eventually, he tried to pull out of the deal.

IndyStar’s report suggests that Red Bull might be ‘expected to cover the fee to secure Palou’s release, or offer up a weighty settlement offer to McLaren, or be prepared to back Palou’ should his lawsuit go to trial.

Red Bull bought out Perez’s contract when they decided to cancel his deal early, suggesting that money isn’t necessarily an issue if the team think they’re getting the right driver line-up.

However, they may need to convince Palou to walk away from his position as IndyCar’s Verstappen to drive alongside him.