INDIANAPOLIS — After three months of uncertainty over his future in auto racing, Alex Palou has signed a deal to stay with Chip Ganassi racing for the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series season.
The agreement will allow Palou to maintain a relationship with McLaren Racing in that he can test with McLaren’s F1 team as long as the testing does not interfere with his IndyCar commitments.
This resolution ends a months-long legal battle between Palou, Ganassi, and McLaren.
Back in June, Ganassi announced that they had picked up Palou’s option to keep him with the team through the end of the 2023 season. Palou refuted that announcement saying that he would “not return to Ganassi next year.”
Then McLaren Racing announced they had signed the 2021 IndyCar Seris champion. A legal stalemate followed with all three sides working things out in mediation over the last few weeks.
Immediately after the announcement was posted by Palou on Twitter, Arrow McLaren SP also announced that Felix Rosenqvist would be the team’s third full-time car for 2023. It was not known where Rosenqvist would be driving for McLaren up to this point.
“There’s no better way to enter the offseason than with this news,” Rosenqvist said. “I love this team, and I’m so happy to continue working with all the incredible people I’ve gotten to know over the past two seasons. It will be the most exciting season for me so far. Let it be March already!”
Ganassi’s stable next year is set with Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, and Alex Palou to run full-time in 2023. Jimmie Johnson is a question mark for next year at the moment.
Arrow McLaren will field Pato O’Ward, Alexander Rossi, and Felix Rosenqvist in full-time rides next season.
