IndyCar champion Alex Palou has shockingly backed out of a commitment to join McLaren in the single-seater championship in 2024 despite having signed a contract.
According to reports, Palou informed the British team that he has “no intention” of joining McLaren in 2024. The team CEO Zak Brown referred to the development as extremely disappointing.
The Spaniard has been racing for Chip Ganassi over the past three seasons. However, he attempted to leave the team last year, but ultimately decided to stay. Palou will continue to represent the team through 2023 before switching to McLaren.
The Associated Press reports that the former IndyCar champion has notified McLaren that he won’t be their driver, so it appears that everything has changed once more. Surprisingly, Palou faltered on the mutually agreed-on McLaren contract without alerting his management team, and the team subsequently cut the star from their lineup.
Palou is currently McLaren’s Formula 1 reserve driver, but it’s conceivable that the link may also be severed although this hasn’t yet been made public.
Brown informed the staff belonging to the McLaren IndyCar team in a letter about the startling turn of events.
“This is incredibly disappointing considering the commitment he has made to us both directly and publicly and our significant investment in him based on that commitment,” Brown wrote to the McLaren IndyCar team.
“We dedicated a lot of time, money and resources preparing to welcome Alex into our team because we believed in him and were looking forward to IndyCar wins with him.
“Coming out of his team dispute last fall, we were assured by Alex of his commitment to Arrow McLaren reflected in the contract he entered into with us.”
The management group that negotiated the deal for Palou, Monaco Increase Management, also terminated their contract with the 26-year-old Spaniard after he backed out of his contract with McLaren.
“Monaco Increase Management is bitterly disappointed to learn about Alex Palou’s decision to break an existing agreement with McLaren for 2024 and beyond,” their statement reads.
“Together, we had built a relationship that we thought went beyond any contractual obligation and culminated in winning the 2021 IndyCar crown and tracing a path to F1 opportunities.
“Life goes on and we wish Alex all the best for his future achievements.”
It’s interesting to note that Williams and AlphaTauri both had discussions with Palou’s representation before the McLaren contract controversy.
Many are now speculating as to whether there has been a new development or whether he wants to continue working with Chip Ganassi in IndyCar. It is thought that the two teams have spoken at “some level” recently.
However, given that he personally signed his contract with McLaren, it’s likely that this isn’t the end of the story just yet.
