McLaren 'playing the victim': Chip Ganassi comments on Alex Palou's contract status
IndyCar Series team owner Chip Ganassi said Saturday that the McLaren team's statement regarding Alex Palou's contract status is inaccurate.
"I grew up respecting the McLaren Team and their success," Ganassi said in a statement. "The new management does not get my same respect."
Ganassi maintains Palou remains under contract to his team. Ganassi sued the driver in 2022 for breach of contract after Palou announced he planned to join McLaren this year. Ganassi and Palou reached a settlement months later, and Palou has remained with the Ganassi team since, while also doing some testing with McLaren.
Palou is well on his way to the 2023 points championship, leading second-place Josef Newgarden by 84 points with four races remaining, starting with Saturday's Gallagher Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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In a letter to McLaren employees revealed late Friday, team boss Zak Brown claimed that Palou has decided not to abide by terms of a contract between them starting in 2024.
Palou offered "no comment" on the situation before Saturday's race.
Here is Ganassi's statement:
"Anyone that knows me knows that I don't make a habit of commenting about contract situations. 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 regarding our driver is inaccurate and wrong; he remains under contract with CGR."
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyCar: Ganassi team owner comments on Alex Palou, McLaren situation
