On Wednesday, Alex Palou confirmed that he is returning to Chip Ganassi Racing for the 2023 season. The 25-year-old from Sant Antoni de Vilamajor, Spain, and the 2021 IndyCar champion finished fifth in the point standings with one win, six top-five, and 13 top-ten finishes. He won the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey last Sunday.
“I’m excited to announce that @CGRTeams and I have come to an agreement, and I’ll be back in the No. 10 car next season!” said Palou. “Looking forward to a BIG 2023!”
In addition, Palou confirmed that Chip Ganassi Racing will allow him to pursue F1 testing with McLaren outside of IndyCar commitments. “I’m also grateful that @CGRTeams will allow me to pursue F1 testing with @McLarenF1 outside of my INDYCAR commitments. Thank you, Chip, Mike, and the entire team, for your willingness to work together and help support both the team and my personal goals throughout this process.”
On July 12th, Chip Ganassi Racing announced they had extended Palou’s deal for the 2023 season. However, not long after the announcement, Palou denied it, and McLaren announced they signed Palou a short time later, leading to legal actions between CGR, McLaren, and Palou.
Palou won the 2021 IndyCar Championship, becoming the first Spaniard to win a title, and it was Ganassi’s 14th title in IndyCar. Palou has one pole, four wins, and 15 podium finishes in two seasons with Chip Ganassi Racing. He previously raced for Dale Coyne Racing in 2018 with one podium finish.
Not long after Palou’s announcement, McLaren announced that Felix Rosenqvist is returning to Arrow McLaren SP for the 2023 season.
Rosenqvist finished eighth in the point standings this year, winning two poles, three top-five, and ten top-ten finishes in the 2022 season. He finished fourth in last week’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monetary.
“There’s no better way to enter the off-season than with this news! I love this team, and I’m so happy to continue working with all the incredible people I’ve gotten to know over the past two seasons,” said Rosenqvist. “With everything the team has in the pipeline, the continuing relationship with Pato, and the addition of Alex Rossi, we are going to bring our A-game for 2023. It will be the most exciting season for me so far. Let it be March already!”
In 62 career IndyCar races, Rosenqvist has three poles, one win, five top-five, and 11 top-ten finishes. His only IndyCar win came in 2020 at Road America with Chip Ganassi Racing.
“I’m delighted that Felix will again be racing with AMSP through 2023. He had a strong 2022 season, and I look forward to seeing what he, Alex Rossi, and Pato O’Ward can do when they join forces in papaya,” said McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown. “It’s also great to have Alex Palou joining the McLaren Racing family in our Testing of Previous Cars programme.”
