The messy saga surrounding Alex Palou‘s racing future was finally cleared up Wednesday when the Spanish driver said he will return to Chip Ganassi Racing next season — and then immediately hopped into one of McLaren’s cars for a Formula One test in Barcelona.
McLaren, meanwhile, said Felix Rosenqvist would return to his IndyCar seat next season, as two key drivers involved in the series’ head-spinning silly season fell into place.
IndyCar free agency went wild in July when Palou, at the time the reigning IndyCar champion, said he had signed with McLaren Racing for 2023 just hours after Ganassi said it had picked up an option on his contract.
Ganassi promptly filed suit against the driver, and as they were navigating through the courts, the sides also entered into mediation. Palou insisted he would be a McLaren driver in 2023, but signs that something had shifted came Sunday when he won the IndyCar season finale at Laguna Seca.
With Ganassi standing behind him in Victory Lane, Palou for the first time indicated talks with his current boss were progressing and that a resolution could be soon.
It came Wednesday when Palou tweeted he had reached an agreement to drive the No. 10 for a third consecutive season.
Palou said he was grateful Ganassi also will permit him to “pursue F1 testing” with McLaren outside of his IndyCar commitments. McLaren posted on social media that both Palou and Pato O’Ward, its current IndyCar driver, were participating in a closed test with older F1 cars Wednesday.
I’m excited to announce that @CGRTeams and I have come to an agreement and I’ll be back in the No. 10 car next season!
Looking forward to a BIG 2023! 🦍 pic.twitter.com/wIhaPdYj9q
— Alex Palou Montalbo (@AlexPalou) September 14, 2022
I’m also grateful that @CGRTeams will allow me to pursue F1 testing with @McLarenF1 outside of my INDYCAR commitments.
— Alex Palou Montalbo (@AlexPalou) September 14, 2022
Thank you Chip, Mike and the entire team for your willingness to work together and help support both the team and my personal goals throughout this process. 💪
— Alex Palou Montalbo (@AlexPalou) September 14, 2022
McLaren’s other news was that Rosenqvist will be back with its IndyCar team next year in an expanded three-car lineup that adds 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi. Rosenqvist had basically been on hold all summer because of the Palou saga.
McLaren had signed Palou, believing he was free and clear from his Ganassi contract, to drive in IndyCar and…
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