Red Bull sources have now privately given their verdict on replacing Yuki Tsunoda with Alex Palou

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The identity of who will be driving for Red Bull Racing during the 2026 Formula 1 season was once again a topic of debate in the paddock at the Dutch Grand Prix.

The Formula 1 driver market hasn’t been as exciting as last year this season, even if Cadillac announced their driver pairing during the summer break.

It means that out of all the available seats on the grid for the 2026 season, half are associated with Red Bull.

Max Verstappen announced he will continue with Red Bull next year, but the identity of his teammate and the two Racing Bulls drivers is still unknown.

Yuki Tsunoda, Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson are all out of contract at the end of the season, giving Laurent Mekies and Helmut Marko a dilemma.

Hadjar responded when asked about a Red Bull promotion after his magnificent podium finish at the Dutch Grand Prix.

However, a new name has recently emerged in discussions about the team’s future driver line-up: Alex Palou.

Palou’s data has previously been compared to Verstappen’s, and journalist Chris Medland has shared more details about how Red Bull privately feel about signing the four-time IndyCar champion.

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

Red Bull’s private feelings about signing Alex Palou for the 2026 Formula 1 season revealed

Medland was speaking on the Pit Pass F1 podcast, and speaking about the Palou story, he said: “Well, the rumour that came out this week was that Red Bull had shown an interest in him and had actually inquired about maybe getting hold of him to put him next to Max Verstappen next year, which was quite a stretch, I must say.

“But, you never quite know. It came from a pretty reputable source, the IndyStar. And you thought, well, I wonder what’s going on there.

“So, did some digging myself at the start of the week. And Palou’s manager said, no, I’ve not spoken to Red Bull at all. So I thought, well, that’s that.

“Got to today at Zandvoort and still a lot of the media wanted to ask the questions. I think they maybe hadn’t spoken to anyone else linked to it and had seen the rumour.

“They asked not only Palou questions to other drivers, but particularly Max Verstappen, as his potential future teammate got asked the question, you thought, OK, it’s certainly got people talking.

“Now, then, I spoke to someone at Red Bull who said there’s absolutely nothing to this. Like they said on the record, this is a false rumour.”

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda’s life outside F1 from height to parents

Where did the Alex Palou to Red Bull rumours come from?

Medland then addressed where the rumours of a potential move came from and continued: “One driver manager suggested it might have come from a source within IndyCar itself.

“Could be on a number of different fronts in that sense, but that they potentially could have been looking to generate some interest around Palou and the achievements he’s had by getting him being talked about within F1, even though there wasn’t actually a link there.

“And if that was the intent, then that certainly happened. If it was to destabilise people at Ganassi, I’m not too sure that has worked.”

Although a move for Palou is looking incredibly unlikely at this stage, it doesn’t mean Red Bull aren’t considering a change.

Tsunoda finally returned to the points at Zandvoort, securing P9 after missing out on the top 10 shootout in qualifying.

However, that was completely overshadowed by Hadjar’s incredible podium finish, meaning he’s now beaten his old Racing Bulls teammate to that first trip to the rostrum.

Hadjar is Red Bull’s favoured candidate to replace Tsunoda, but there are still nine race weekends left for the Japanese driver to convince his bosses that he’s the driver to back for 2026.