Álex Palou has publicly denied the Ganassi deal and confirmed his agreement with McLaren. Angry, the team is considering to withdraw the current champion and replace him with Tony Kanaan
The imbroglio that surfaced on Tuesday between Álex Palou and Ganassi is heading for a break between the parties. After the team announced that it had exercised its option to keep the reigning IndyCar Series champion for the 2023 season, the Spaniard went public to deny the information, accusing the team of attributing a non-existent line in the press release and confirming that he has signed with McLaren for next year. Something that left Chip Ganassi, without euphemisms, pissed off.
The embarrassment of the situation deeply angered the manager, who started the night looking for ways to get Palou out of the action as soon as possible, according to GRANDE PRÊMIO. Since he exercised the contract option with the Spaniard and is waiting for financial compensation from McLaren, Álex may be removed from the #10 car with immediate effect, but still under contract.
While leaving the case in the hands of the lawyers, Ganassi has already gone further to look for a replacement. The favorite is Tony Kanaan. Chip has already sent a message to the Brazilian asking about his availability for this weekend's Toronto GP. Whether in a rage or in a moment of sobriety, the manager wants to count on Kanaan for the rest of the season, asGRANDE PRÊMIO also learned.
When contacted, Kanaan said he could not comment on the case.
Kanaan drove the #10 Ganassi car in his first stint with the team, which lasted from 2014 to 2017. In the period, the driver added 1 victory and 12 podiums, and had seventh place in 2014 and 2016 as the best final classification. After three seasons at Foyt, he returned to Ganassi in 2021, driving the #48 car as a substitute for Jimmie Johnson in five races, all on oval circuits. In 2022, he had his participation reduced only to the Indy 500, in the #1 car, in which he finished third.
Palou has been with Ganassi since 2021. In his debut season, he won three races and added four podiums, winning the Indy 500 title. In 2022, he has yet to win and occupies fifth place in the standings. The Spaniard signed a contract with McLaren for 2023, but the team has not yet informed whether Álex will drive at Indy. On social media, Álex claimed that for "personal reasons" he signed with Zak Brown's team and said that the quotes that appeared in Ganassi's press release were made up.
The only information confirmed by McLaren is that the driver will be part of the testing program for previous Formula 1 cars, as will Colton Herta and Pato O'Ward.
The Indy races will be held in Toronto, Canada, this Sunday (17th). The race is scheduled to start at 4:30 pm (Brasília time).