The third Spaniard in the World Cup talks about his first months of experience as he faces another year in the Indycar
Alex Palou (Sant Antoni de Vilamajor, Barcelona, 1997) picks up the phone from the United States, where a new Indycar season begins today, while watching the repeat of the Formula 1 qualifying session in Bahrain. Fernando Alonso, in the third row of the grid, the unexpected just a few months ago. “At Aston Martin they have taken a very big step and everyone knows that they will be ahead this season. It is no longer a sensation or a wish of the fans, it is a reality. Now we will have to see what happens in the race, in other circuits. I think that to get on the podium in Bahrain Fernando will have to do things very well, “he explains in conversation with EL MUNDO, the third Spanish in the World Cup. A McLaren tester, from the Indycar he remains in the bid to be an official driver in the future, perhaps sooner rather than later.
- How is your relationship with Alonso himself? Have they spoken?
- Yes, yes, last year at the Austin circuit, where I did the practice [debutó en unos entrenamientos de Fórmula 1] I was able to sit with him for a while. He asked me how my experience had been and we talked about the differences between Indy and F1. He had already experienced it and he wanted to see if I had the same feelings. It is lucky to coincide with him, that he continues on the track.
- And how are those feelings?
- The Indycar is more difficult to drive, because it doesn’t have power steering, it’s heavy, it has a lot of power, it’s more physically demanding. Formula 1 is faster, it’s more mentally tiring because you have to work a lot with the controls, the map changes… And then there’s everything that surrounds Formula 1, of course.
- What is it referring to?
- That’s all. Working with the team, for example. In Indy there are four engineers per car because budgets are so tight and in Formula 1 there are maybe 50. There is a person who only deals with electric powertrain energy and asks you about that. Then there’s the public and the media, all of that.
- How does a driver get called by a Formula 1 team?
- In my case, by the less traditional path: winning the IndyCar two years ago, in 2021. That’s when the call from McLaren came, then at the beginning of 2022 they gave me the opportunity to drive an old Formula 1 and, from there, we started to see what else he could do. Before there were no cases of Indy drivers going to Formula 1, but now, with Patrick O’Ward [también vinculado a McLaren] either Colton Herta [que estuvo en la órbita de Red Bull] it is becoming more common.
- And how can you become an official pilot?
- I do not know, I do not know. Right now I am focused on Indy and when the season is over I will focus on McLaren. These months I will follow the Formula 1 races, I will be at the team meetings, but my goal is to win here [en Estados Unidos]. That’s how the doors to Formula 1 were opened for me and that’s how I can continue to show that I’m fast. I don’t think about getting to Formula 1 at any price, winning Indy again is what matters right now.
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- I honestly have no idea. I have several open fronts, I don’t know how far I can go. I have this great opportunity in Formula 1, but I also have a good future in the United States, with a team and a car that allow me to fight for championships. A year ago I did not know if I could combine both jobs and five years ago if they told me that I would be in this situation I would have thought they were kidding me. So race by race.
- A year ago he experienced a mess with the contracts, with the complaint from his team in the Indy, Ganussi, for having signed with McLaren. It’s solved?
- Yeah, yeah, I’m glad it’s all behind, that it’s settled [ambos equipos llegaron a un acuerdo]. That’s why what I want most is a quiet year, to be able to concentrate on the races. That happened just halfway through the IndyCar season, the relationship with the team then was not easy and despite this I was able to fight for the championship [terminó quinto en la general con una victoria en Laguna Seca]. I’ll stick with that.
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