MOORESVILLE, N.C. — The best rivalry in the NTT IndyCar Series isn’t between drivers behind the wheel of race cars. It’s not Alex Palou versus Josef Newgarden, or Romain Grosjean versus Alexander Rossi or Pato O’Ward versus Marcus Ericsson.
The best rivalry in IndyCar is between Chip Ganassi and Zak Brown, two of the most prominent team owners in the series.
It’s a rivalry bordering on a feud. It has been going on for a few years, but hit its ignition point last July when Brown’s McLaren operation was ready to sweep away Palou, despite the 2021 NTT IndyCar Series champion having an option year left on his contract with Chip Ganassi Racing.
Ganassi was furious, invoked the option, went to mediation and enforced the contract that Palou was already under at CGR.
To Palou’s credit, he returned to Ganassi’s team, determined and focused, and has turned this year’s battle for the IndyCar Series championship into a runaway.
As the series heads to the Aug. 27 Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, Palou has a 101-point lead over teammate Scott Dixon.
There are just three races remaining. Each IndyCar Series race pays a maximum of 54 points, which means there are only 162 points available over those three races.
If Palou leaves Gateway with a 108-point lead, he is the NTT IndyCar Series champion.
Palou has made a shambles of the championship race with four victories, including three straight during June and July, and four out of five counting the GMR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in May.
If Rinus VeeKay had not run into Palou’s car during a pit stop midway through the 107th Indianapolis 500 in May, Palou may have won five in a row. He battled back to finish fourth at Indy.
Palou is a generational talent and has everything in place to become an IndyCar legend.
If he remains at Chip Ganassi Racing, he can take the mantle when 43-year-old Dixon moves on, although it may be a while before the six-time IndyCar Series champion quits racing.
Compare that to the gamble he was about to take with McLaren.
Other than serving as McLaren’s F-1 practice driver, Palou had no guarantees he would get one of the team’s Formula 1 rides.
The Arrow McLaren IndyCar team has yet to win this season despite a talented trio of drivers (Pato O’Ward, Alexander Rossi and Felix Rosenqvist).
After considering his options, Palou notified Brown, McLaren’s CEO, he would not be joining the team.
Brown quickly sent a letter to Arrow McLaren letting them know in direct terms that Palou was “reneging” on an agreement with the team.
“I’m extremely disappointed that Alex Palou does not intend to honor his contractual obligation to race with us in IndyCar in 2024 and beyond,” Brown said. “That’s all I have to say on the topic for the time being.”
Neither Palou, nor Ganassi will confirm the driver is back until after the season finale at California’s WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca. Until then, the driver and team have a championship to clinch.
But for Ganassi, it’s sweet redemption.
Chip Ganassi Racing is undoubtedly the best team in the paddock this season and Arrow McLaren’s season has not come close to reaching expectations.
In May, when 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson began to express his frustration over Ganassi not offering him a new contract, Brown said: “I would have had a commercial deal in place for Marcus Ericsson already.”
Ganassi did not like that comment but was able to enjoy some revenge on Aug. 11, when the Palou news broke. Ganassi issued the following statement:
“Anyone that knows me knows that I don’t make a habit of commenting about contract situations,” Ganassi said. “Subsequently, I have been quiet since day one of this story but now I feel I must respond. I grew up respecting the McLaren Team and their success. The new management does not get my same respect.
“Alex Palou has been a part of our team and under contract since the 2021 season. It is the interference of that contract from McLaren that began this process and ironically, they are now playing the victim.
“Simply stated, the position of McLaren IndyCar management regarding our driver is inaccurate and wrong; he remains under contract with CGR.”
Prior to this year’s IndyCar/NASCAR weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, SPEED SPORT asked if Palou could be back at Indianapolis next year.
“At Indianapolis? I will be back in Indianapolis,” he responded.
The next day is when the news broke that Palou would not be moving to McLaren and the feud between Ganassi and Brown flared up once again.
This story appeared in the August 23, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
