PALOU TO REMAIN WITH GANASSI AFTER ALL
An ugly driver despite between the Chip Ganassi Racing and McLaren IndyCar operations has been resolved with 2021 title winner Alex Palou being confirmed as a Ganassi driver for 2023.
The Spaniard, who finished fifth in this year’s standings, announced in July that he had signed to drive for McLaren, but Ganassi responded by saying it had taken up its option on the 25-year-old.
The two parties have reached an agreement whereby Palou will be able to conduct some Formula 1 testing work for McLaren alongside his commitments in the United States in 2023. A Ganassi statement said: “The agreement affords [Palou] the opportunity to test cars in separate racing series, provided that it does not directly conflict with IndyCar.”
Palou, along with his IndyCar rival Pato O’Ward, was due to test a 2021 McLaren MCL35M in Barcelona last week.
The Arrow McLaren SP IndyCar squad confirmed this week that Felix Rosenqvist, whose future had been in doubt as a result of the Palou situation, will remain as part of its IndyCar line-up alongside O’Ward and Alexander Rossi into 2023.