Palou stepped into the eye of the storm when it was announced in July that he would be leaving Ganassi for McLaren Racing after the 2022 season.
That news came shortly after Ganassi announced he had exercised the option to renew the 2021 IndyCar champion for another year, setting off a legal tug-of-war between the two parties.
Because of that controversy, Alex Palou’s future has been up in the air for two months, but in a surprising turn of events, Palou announced on Wednesday that he is staying after all and will not be going to McLaren.
“Excited to announce that Chip Ganassi Racing and I have come to an agreement, and I will be back in the #10 car next season. Looking forward to a GREAT 2023!” Palou tweeted.
In addition to wanting to secure a better contract as IndyCar champion, Palou’s signing for McLaren also implied the promise of bringing him closer to Formula 1.
And while McLaren has decided to sign Alpine’s Oscar Piastri to replace Daniel Ricciardo alongside Lando Norris in 2023, Palou’s testing contract with McLaren will continue with Ganassi’s approval.
“Alex Palou will repeat in the number 10 car with Chip Ganassi Racing for the 2023 INDYCAR season. This agreement gives him the opportunity to test cars in other series, as long as it does not conflict directly with his INDYCAR commitments,” said the Ganassi statement.
Palou added that he is “grateful that Chip Ganassi Racing allows me to do F1 testing outside of my IndyCar commitments.”
“Thank you, Chip, [Ganassi CEO] Mike Hull and the entire team for your willingness to work together and help support both the team and my personal goals throughout this process,” he said.
Palou dominated at Laguna Seca, in the 2022 IndyCar season finale last weekend, and after the race he was seen hugging team boss Ganassi, suggesting their cold relationship over Palou’s future has improved.
At the moment the agreement that Ganassi and McLaren Racing have reached to resolve the situation is unknown.
Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet
As a consequence of Palou staying on, Arrow McLaren SP has announced that Felix Rosenqvist will continue with the team alongside Patricio O’Ward and Alexander Rossi, who will join from Andretti Autosport.
Rosenqvist was under contract with the McLaren Racing group for 2023, but due to the arrival of Palou, the Swede could return to Formula E to race with the new McLaren team in the electric championship.
“There is no better way to enter the interseason break than with this news,” Rosenqvist said.
“I love this team, and I’m excited to continue working with all the amazing people I’ve gotten to know over the last two seasons.”
“With everything the team has planned, the ongoing relationship with Pato and the addition of Alex Rossi, we are going to give our best in 2023.”
