It’s getting wild about someone who is also in demand in Formula 1: just a few hours after Ganassi announced the extension with Alex Palou, the Spaniard objects and announces his move to McLaren.
IndyCar Champion Alex Palou will leave Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) at the end of the season to join Arrow McLaren SP. The Spaniard announced this just a few hours after the publication of a press release in which Ganassi had announced that the 25-year-old would remain in the team.
In it, Ganassi confirmed that he had exercised his option to keep Palou until the end of the 2023 season. “Alex’s track record speaks for itself,” team owner Chip Ganassi was quoted as saying. “He’s one of the strongest drivers in the world. We’re really looking forward to continuing to work together.”
The said release also included a purported quote from Palou: “It’s a great feeling to know that I’ll be back with Chip Ganassi Racing next season. The team have welcomed me with open arms from day one and I’m delighted look forward to further cooperation.”
Palou: Press release without my consent
However, the Spaniard himself completely rejects this view. He wrote on Twitter: “I recently found out from the media
that Chip Ganassi Racing issued a press release this afternoon without my consent announcing that I will be racing at CGR in 2023.”
“More surprisingly, the release contained a ‘quote’ that was not mine. I did not endorse this press release, and I did not author or endorse this quote,” Palou said, announcing his departure from Ganassi.
“As I recently shared with CGR, for personal reasons I have no intention of continuing with the team after 2022. Aside from the unfortunate events of tonight, I have great respect for the CGR team and look forward to working together this season to finish strong.”
McLaren confirm Palou as a new signing for 2023
Moments later, the McLaren Formula 1 team’s official Twitter account said: “Hola Alex! McLaren Racing welcomes IndyCar champion Alex Palou to its roster for 2023. Our full driver line-up for all racing series will be confirmed in due course will.”
The Twitter account of Arrow McLaren SP, the brand’s IndyCar team, quoted this tweet, adding: “Welcome to the McLaren racing family, Alex Palou.”
Although McLaren does not specify which racing series Palou will compete in, it seems likely that he will compete alongside Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi in 2023 as Arrow McLaren SP has long announced its intention to continue its IndyCar Expand lineup to three cars.
This would likely mean that Felix Rosenqvist, whom McLaren also confirmed as a member of his “family” two weeks ago, moves to the new Formula E team.
Palou, in his second year at Ganassi, currently sits fourth on the IndyCar points table, just 35 points behind his teammate Marcus Ericsson, who leads the championship. Last year Palou won the title with three wins and five more podiums. He was the 14th IndyCar Champion for CGR.