Alex Palou excited in his debut with McLaren: "This car is crazy"

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The times could have been misleading, because he did not mount the soft tires and focused on the set-up of the car for the race, but McLaren welcomed

's debut with notorious enthusiasm.

"Good job Alex.

It was a good session with no problems.

I hope you enjoyed it," they sang to him on the radio.

“Yes, it has been incredible, thank you very much.

I'm very happy," replied the Barcelonan.

His seventeenth place in free practice for the US GP, three seconds behind the leader

(1:36.857), seems like the prelude to something bigger.

Alex's talent is pure F1.

There are reasons to trust Palou, even as his short stint at the Woking outfit seems rather bleak.

At the moment he starts behind

, recently signed from Alpine,

and

.

Herta has the advantage of being American at a time when the Great Circus is looking for stars with that passport.

The Mexican, for his part, is the personal bet of the executive director,

.

However, Palou arrives with his 2021 IndyCar champion aura. If Piastri, so arrogant and volcanic, does not convince as Daniel Ricciardo's replacement, there will be a vacancy in 2024. And if McLaren fails, Palou's figure can be projected onto others horizons.

Yesterday, under a huge Lone Star State flag, Alex faced a setback with less than seven minutes into the session.

Just as the nose of his MCL-36 poked out of the

,

, a veteran looking for another opportunity, crashed his Haas into the turn 6 guardrails. A calamitous mistake, more typical of any unsuspecting

.

It was a day for the youngsters, like

at Alfa Romeo,

at Williams or

at Ferrari, standing in for

,

and

, respectively.

intelligence behind the wheel

The care of the mechanics seemed like an essential requirement yesterday in Austin and the McLaren engineers reminded him at the first opportunity.

As soon as they discovered that his pace at turn 11 was too abrupt, they called for caution.

And Alex, very relaxed, replied almost with a smile: "This car is crazy."

If he has stood out for anything, since his arduous beginnings in GP3, it is for avoiding disasters like Giovinazzi's.

At that time, when he shared the track with rivals like Esteban Ocon or Leclerc, he has been perfecting his driving, which stands out for its exquisite intelligence.

That mental component distinguishes the chosen ones.

Because it's not just about understanding how the car behaves, or contributing something else to its performance, but about deciding at high speed.

Before the rest.

Essential to this learning was his experience in Japanese Super Formula, where he would arrive at the initiative of his manager,

.

There he already stood out for his ability in the wet and for his ability to choose the strategy in the pits and refueling.

Palou, on Friday at the Circuit of the Americas.AFP

That reading of the races has also been very useful in IndyCar.

Even in a modest team, like Dale Coyne Racing, he has been able to minimize mistakes, to the point of imposing a style far removed from the American canon.

Without skidding, taking care of the tires and the suspensions, Palou made a place for himself in Chip Ganassi, not even being intimidated by the legendary Scott Dixon.

His imperturbable character was recorded throughout 2021, his glory year.

Then, the victories alternated with various retirements due to mechanical setbacks and grid penalties, but Alex never flinched.

When his engine shattered in the final stretch of the 500 Miles, his chances of a podium finish in Indianapolis disappeared, but he responded to the press with an exemplary attitude, without any outbursts or regrets out of place.

With that poise he has had to face the recent legal battle between Chip Ganassi and McLaren.

He simply wanted to choose his own destiny.

He now has it in front of him.

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