IndyCar 2021 champion Alex Palou will remain part of Ganassi’s roster for 2023, despite having originally intended to race for Arrow McLaren SP.
Palou was named as a McLaren signing for 2023 hours after being announced as having been retained by Ganassi. He was subsequently taken to court by the latter, with Ganassi believing it had a valid option for his services in the existing deal.
It has been recently speculated that McLaren would seek to buy him out of the Ganassi option, but Palou’s comments after the 2022 season’s Laguna Seca finale he had dominated hinted he may yet continue to race for the team he’d won the title for the year before.
And on Wednesday he announced just that on social media, with Ganassi corroborating this from its official account.
Palou has finished fifth in IndyCar this year, in a campaign in which he and both he and team-mates Scott Dixon and Marcus Ericsson fought for the title.
The F1 opportunities within his mooted McLaren move were cited by Palou’s representation as a driving factor earlier this year – and Palou has confirmed that Ganassi “will allow me to pursue F1 testing with McLaren outside of my IndyCar responsibilities”.
Palou staying at Ganassi suggests that Arrow McLaren SP will now move to retain Felix Rosenqvist alongside the already-contracted Patricio O’Ward and Alexander Rossi.
Rosenqvist’s current deal has an option active until September 30, and McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown expressed his happiness with Rosenqvist’s recent IndyCar performances during the Laguna Seca finale last weekend.
Keyword: Palou stays at Ganassi for 2023, ‘allowed’ Mc Laren F1 testing