Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Formula 1, Motorsport, Fan Reactions
Tom Jenkins
Carlos Sainz has backed IndyCar champion Alex Palou to be given a chance in F1, and fans are in total agreement.
Formula 1 is widely regarded as the pinnacle of motorsport, with only 20 drivers getting the opportunity each season to take control of the world's fastest cars.
Drivers such as Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are undoubtedly some of the fastest men alive behind a wheel, but not everyone in F1 is necessarily there on merit.
Despite an impressive junior career, Lance Stroll's place at Aston Martin us often put under the microscope due to his father's ownership of the team.
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Various political factors also come into play such as sponsorship and nationality for example, in 2021 Haas signed Russian driver Nikita Mazepin on the premise his father invested significantly.
Due to this, many talented drivers never get their chance in F1, and four-time IndyCar champion Palou is arguably top of the list.
Palou was McLaren's F1 reserve driver in 2023 and drove for the team in free practice back in 2022, however, Williams star Sainz is convinced he deserves a full-time seat.
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"I think someone that is capable of winning in Indy, Indy 500, at least he should at some point be given the chance to show what he can do in Formula 1," Sainz said via ESPN.
"I always rated Alex very highly because I was his teammate in cadets, and he was very quick in cadet karting. But honestly speaking, what he's doing in America is something really admirable.
"I think to dominate IndyCar, the way he's dominating, you have to be very good at what he's doing," he added.
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However, Sainz reiterated that F1 is a level above all other motorsports, and you never truly know how a driver will handle the step up.
"Then Formula 1 is a completely different discipline, different world, but I don't have anything else than respect and admiration for what Alex is doing in Indy," he insisted.
Sainz's comments on Palou quickly gained traction online, with fans in agreement that the IndyCar star would deserve a shot in an F1 seat.
One fan wrote: "Absolutely agree with Sainz here. Thing is, Palou isn't interested in running at the back of the field in a Williams. If it isn't with a top team, he isn't making the switch."
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Another added: "He's a great driver, better than the likes of Lawson, Yuki, Stroll and a couple more. Cadillac should sign him."
A third replied: "Palou's dominance in IndyCar speaks for itself. F1 teams missing out on raw talent while chasing pay drivers."