3. Palou in the eye of a storm
Beyond the stunning finish and Dixon’s remarkable victory, the biggest talking point of the weekend centred around an ugly contractual spat for Palou’s services in 2024. This time last year, the Spaniard was trying to leave Ganassi to join Arrow McLaren. Now it seems he wants to stay just where he is, despite McLaren claiming it has a contract for him to switch sides. What a turnaround.
The row led Chip Ganassi to issue a stinging statement aimed directly at Zak Brown. “I grew up respecting the McLaren team and their success,” he said. “The new management does not get my same respect. Alex Palou has been a part of our team and under contract since the 2021 season. It is the interference of that contract from McLaren that began this process and ironically, they are now playing the victim. Simply stated, the position of McLaren IndyCar regarding our driver is inaccurate and wrong; he remains under contract with CGR.”
For his part, Brown was also upset. “I’m extremely disappointed that Alex Palou does not intend to honour his contractual obligations to race with us in IndyCar in 2024 and beyond,” he said in a statement. “That’s all I have to say on the topic for the time being.”
Palou has tested for McLaren in F1 and rumours have persisted that he is eyeing a future in grand prix racing – even if there is no room at the Woking team while Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri remain incumbent. Might Palou find a berth elsewhere without McLaren’s assistance? Not right now, it seems – especially as his Monaco-based management company expressed dismay at the mess and has severed its ties with him. More likely, the 26-year-old will remain in IndyCar in one of the best seats on the grid.
At Indianapolis, Palou endured a messy race after his lap-one clip of Armstrong and later also clashed with the impressive Devlin DeFrancesco. But he still finished seventh and with Newgarden down in 25th, now holds a commanding 101-point lead with three rounds to go to capture his second title in three years. No wonder it seems he wants to stay put.