Palou finally speaks for himself: why he is turning his back on McLaren

Alex Palou was supposed to drive for McLaren Arrow in IndyCar in 2024, but it became clear last month that he has no intention of actually keeping that promise. McLaren has repeatedly let it be known how unhappy it was with Palou's U-turn, but now, for the first time, the protagonist himself has spoken out about the issue.

How did it sit again?

After the 2022 season, Palou was planning to leave Chip Ganassi Racing and go to work for McLaren, but Chip Ganassi unilaterally lifted an option in Palou's contract, which made it seem he would have to stay longer anyway. At the time, however, McLaren had already announced that Palou would drive for them in 2023. Both teams claimed to have a legally valid contract, forcing the courts to look into the matter.

In the end, the two formations reached an agreement. Palou would race for Chip Ganassi in 2023, but was allowed to complete F1 tests for McLaren in addition to his IndyCar commitments. So Brown and consorts have invested a lot of time and money in Palou this year, but they now come home cold after Palou's announcement.

Palou draws different plan

This year, Palou became IndyCar world champion for the second time with Chip Ganassi, while McLaren did not pick up a single win in 2023. For the 26-year-old driver, making that switch now would not be a smart move. Palou claims there was no watertight contract yet, while McLaren thinks otherwise and has since gone to court. Zak Brown, moreover, revealed he was furious.

Speaking to Motorsport.com and others, Palou explained why he changed course. After becoming IndyCar champion in 2021 - and at the time he was 24 years old - he wanted to find out if a move to Formula 1 was possible. "It was like, ‘What if I try something?’ It can go sideways, but then I come back [to IndyCar] and I'm 27, and I’m still super young, and I can still do it for like 15 or 10 years."

No great chance of F1 seat

A door opened at McLaren. He was allowed to test with F1 cars and he drove the first free practice at the 2022 Grand Prix in Austin. Palou committed to McLaren with the agreement that he would drive for the team's IndyCar formation in 2023 (which later became 2024). But: in the meantime, Palou has realised that there is no real chance of driving Formula 1 at McLaren any time soon at all and so he is closing the McLaren chapter.

"At the same time, if I was 20, maybe I would've waited. But I'm not 20, I'm 26. And on that side, I don't know if there's been somebody [aged] 30 getting into F1." he explains. Palou now wants to go for his third title in IndyCar at Chip Ganassi, but he still does not completely rule out a debut in the pinnacle of motorsport. "If an [F1] opportunity comes in the future, which is like really, really small chances, I'll think about it for sure, 100%."