After more than a year of speculation over the future of Alex Palout, team owner Chip Ganassi finally left no doubt of where the newly crowned two-time IndyCar champion will be racing in 2024.
Ganassi confirmed Palou will return to the No. 10 Dallara-Honda in an interview with NBC Sports’ Kevin Lee after Palou won the Grand Prix of Portland.
“Alex Palou’s going to be in our car,” Ganassi said when asked by Lee if Palou would be in Chip Ganassi Racing’s 2024 lineup. “I can tell you that. Sure.”
In a Saturday interview, Ganassi had hinted to IndyCar journalist Bruce Martin that a deal was done, noting that "(Palou) has shown he has the talent. The guy has been under contract with us for three years and probably for three more, or so.”
Palou’s future has been the subject of rampant of massive speculation since he and Ganassi became embroiled in a contract dispute in July 2022. Palou initially committed to driving for Arrow McLaren this year but then agreed to return to Ganassi and fulfill the final season of his deal.
Palou recently told Arrow McLaren that he no longer would be joining the team in 2024, but he’s been coy about his plans and said he wouldn’t reveal until after the Sept. 10 season finale where he would be driving next year.
But Ganassi always had seemed the most likely destination, barring a surprise offer from a Formula One team.
Asked in a news conference after his Portland victory whether he still harbore,d any thoughts of switching to F1, Palou said, “No, I said it many times that it was not fully my focus. Then when an opportunity came, I had to go for it, I felt.
“At the same time I know I’m not 21 or 19. I’m already 26, which is good. I’m not saying I’m old, but I mean, it’s not that I’m super young. So next year I’ll be 27. If an opportunity comes in the future, which is like really, really small chances, I’ll think about it for sure. One hundred precent. But I’m happy honestly. As long as I keep on winning championships and races or battling for championships, I think I’ll have a great career.”
Palou has won two championships in three seasons at Ganassi, breaking through for his first career victory in the 2021 season-opening debut with the team.
“He’s certainly special,” Ganassi said. “We noticed that his first weekend, his first race win at Barber. We knew the guy was special. He’s part of our team. We couldn’t be more happy about that.
“He told me (before the race), ‘I’m going to wrap it up with a win.’ I said, ‘OK, great.’ He called his shot today.”
Ganassi now has three confirmed drivers for next season: Palou, Scott Dixon and Linus Lundqvist, the 2022 Indy NXT champion who was announced by CGR this past week.
The team has yet to announce a car number or a sponsor for Lundqvist, who would be filling the void left by No. 8 driver Marcus Ericsson’s departure for Andretti Autosport.
Ganassi also has yet to confirm whether it’ll field a fourth car in 2024. Marcus Armstrong and Takuma Sato split the No. 11’s full-season schedule for CGR in 2023.
After a summer of uncertainty for many drivers, the 2024 IndyCar grid finally is beginning to crystallize with the recent news involving Palou, Ericsson and Romain Grosjean (who is out at Andretti Autosport next season).
David Malukas and Felix Rosenqvist likely will reveal their new IndyCar rides within the next couple of weeks.
"Alex Palou's going to be in our car. I can tell you that."@GanassiChip on the two-time INDYCAR champ who called his shot with a win today. pic.twitter.com/yrkb3csUiw
— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) September 3, 2023