Alex Palou has regularly been seen as a driver who could be at Formula 1 level, as he won three IndyCar titles, notably beating the sport’s benchmarks like his teammate and six-time champion of the discipline, Scott Dixon. Oliver Oakes, director of Alpine F1, is also convinced that the Spanish driver could shine in the premier category.
“I think he would be fast, yes. Was he a three-time IndyCar champion? I think he would be very good, yes” Oakes said on the Behind the Grid podcast, before answering the question of who he would like to get stuck in an elevator with.
“Probably Roger Penske. He’s a very successful racing team owner with several teams in NASCAR, IndyCar, sports cars. What he’s built is a brilliant racing organization. I don’t have it never met him, I only saw him from the outside, and I also saw the successful business empire he built on the side.”
“And the things you read about his personal values, he bought Indianapolis and he’s there greeting the fans at the gate. I think it’s exceptional. It’s much more than running an F1 team or to win F1 world championships. He has reached the Holy Grail.”
As a driver, Oakes could have raced in IndyLights, the precursor to IndyCar known today as IndyNXT. The Briton has retained a passion for American single-seaters, which he reveals he follows very closely today.
-“Obviously, I follow a lot of things in IndyCar now. Some drivers who have been on my team, Palou and [Marcus] Armstrong, are now racing there, and [Marcus] Ericsson is also a good friend of mine.”
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