Reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou has found a future home in racing, but it is not where racing fans originally thought he would be.
The 25-year-old refuted Chip Ganassi Racing’s announcement earlier on Tuesday that they exercised the option to extend his contract. The press release included a quote that was supposedly from Palou, but he denied that as well.
“I have recently learned from the media that this afternoon, without my approval, Chip Ganassi Racing issued a press release announcing that I would be driving with CGR in 2023,” Palou said in a Twitter thread. “Even more surprising was that CGR’s release included a “quote” which did not come from me.
“I did not approve that press release, and I did not author or approve that quote. As I have recently informed CGR, for personal reasons, I do not intend to continue with the team after 2022.
“This evening’s unfortunate events aside, I have great respect for the CGR team, and look forward to finishing this season strongly together.”
Instead, the driver will start racing for McLaren in 2023, the team announced Tuesday evening. Palou confirmed the move on his Twitter, saying he’s “Excited to share the news, and looking forward to a future with @McLarenF1.”
“We have always said that we want the best talent at McLaren, and it’s exciting to be able to include Alex on that list.” Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, said in the announcement. “I’m also looking forward to seeing him get behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car as part of our Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) programme alongside Pato O’Ward and Colton Herta as we continue to build our driver talent. Alex is an incredibly talented driver who has won in every series he has raced in, and I’m happy to welcome him to the McLaren family.”
McLaren Racing said that their “full driver line-up across all racing series will be confirmed in due course.” McLaren competes across a variety of series—Formula One with Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, NTT IndyCar Series with Arrow McLaren SP drivers Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist, and Extreme E Championship with Emma Gilmour and Tanner Foust. Additionally, McLaren will be competing in the Formula E World Championship in the 2022-23 season.
McLaren resigned O’Ward on a new contract for Arrow McLaren SP and snagged Alexander Rossi from Andretti Autosport earlier this year.
Palou was the first Spanish driver to win the IndyCar championship after taking last season’s title. He won three races and tallied eight podiums in the process. Prior to that, he finished third in the Super Formula championship in 2019.
The 25-year-old is currently fourth in this season’s IndyCar standings, trailing by 35 points to leader and teammate Marcus Ericsson.
