Chip Ganassi revealed that his team should have no visible changes for the 2023 Indy season and criticized McLaren's way of assembling the team
Ganassi is expected to keep its driver quartet for the 2023 Indy season. Defending Indy 500 champion Marcus Ericsson, defending Indy 500 champion Álex Palou, and six-time Indy 500 champion Scott Dixon have contracts for next year and are expected to stay with the team.
The only doubt is veteran Jimmie Johnson, who is in his last year with Ganassi. The six-time Nascar champion recently revealed that he plans to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023, but that he also wants to stay at Indy. Now, it was Chip Ganassi's turn to indicate a possible permanence of the American, as well as revealing that the team should not have major changes.
"We will maintain the status quo. Most of our changes won't be visible and our team will be very similar to what it is now. My guys are under contract. I asked them if everything is okay and they said, 'Yes, everything is okay. I don't know what else to say," said the Ganassi boss in an interview with Racer.
McLaren has even approached Álex Palou thinking about its third car for the 2023 season. Zak Brown's team has already brought in Alexander Rossi from Andretti, and is still looking for a third name to drive alongside Pato O'Ward. Felix Rosenqvist has had his contract renewed, but it is not yet known in which category the Swede will drive. The way the British team is set up has angered Ganassi, which prefers to develop its own drivers rather than take them from other teams.
"What I can tell you is this: I learned a long time ago in this business that you can't build your team by taking people from other teams. You can't build a team that way. You have to develop your own drivers, your own people," Chip criticized.
Indy returns this Sunday, July 3rd, for the Mid-Ohio GP, with complete coverage from GRANDE PRÊMIO.