I give up. Again. Up is down. Black is white. And IndyCar’s silly season is changing faster than I can keep up with each day.
Last week, there was little doubt about where Alex Palou was headed at the end of the season, with Formula 1, or McLaren Racing’s Arrow McLaren IndyCar team as one of the two surefire destinations. And this week? Try staying with Chip Ganassi Racing and taking the most coveted IndyCar seat off the market.
We went through the same Palou-is-staying routine in May, but there were assurances offered that it wasn’t real. As I understand the situation today — which could make a 180-degree turn tomorrow — he’s seriously considering the third option, which is to remain in Ganassi’s No. 10 Honda. If that’s true, it could mean his F1 opportunities have taken a hit and remaining in IndyCar is the priority.
Nonetheless, I’ve been expecting Palou to reveal his choice at the end of the season with either the independently-sourced F1 seat or the move across to McLaren/Arrow McLaren in whatever capacity. I’m now prepared for the third option of staying at Ganassi being the latest example of something that seemed impossible… and might now be possible.
You can also imagine how the possibility of Palou keeping the No. 10 car has upset the free agent market and those who just want to know if they should keep holding out hope. As if there weren’t enough twists in this tale, I’ve been told by more than a few people that a costly buy-out clause might exist that could keep Palou on the path to driving for McLaren.
Depending on who’s told it, the sum is said to be between seven and eight figures to drive for someone other than McLaren next year. Could something be negotiated that’s more affordable? Would the same lawyers who were highly active in last year’s back-and-forth between Palou, Ganassi, and McLaren be pressed into action? Using the messy 2022 scenario between the three parties as a guide, anything could happen.
And since it’s Palou, the master of surprises, I’ll also ready myself to see him confirmed as Noah Gragson’s replacement in the No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Cup car. That’s a joke, but with Palou, you just never know.
And what about Marcus Ericsson, who we revealed just days ago as being on the receiving end of a paid offer to stay at CGR? There’s no news to report there, but leaving Nashville, there sure were lot of people convinced the talks haven’t gone well, who’ve said he won’t be accepting that deal, and that he’s headed out the door to drive for Michael Andretti. The Andretti part is what’s been expected, but like Palou, we’re being patient and waiting to see where the Swede commits to drive.
And what about one of the other popular destinations? Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s third seat is something that continues to be mentioned most frequently with Felix Rosenqvist’s name attached to the car currently driven by the outgoing Jack Harvey. But RLL isn’t his only suitor on the grid, and Rosenqvist isn’t the only option for RLL in the No. 30 Honda.
How about Arrow McLaren’s efforts to align with a satellite team that was pointing towards Dreyer & Reinbold Racing to run a fourth car? That, too, has changed, or been modified, or something in between.
Where the goal was originally understood to be linking up with a non-full-time team to field a car for Arrow McLaren, I’ve heard a meeting took place last weekend with a full-time entrant and ongoing talks are in the works to see if that might be the way to go. The focus has also shifted from placing a brand-new entry on the grid with a satellite team to converting an existing entry into a fourth car. That entry would feature McLaren’s sponsors, engineers and possibly an existing driver who’s already at that team.
And there’s more. Lots more. But I’ll save those bits for the next installment. Which could be tomorrow. Or two weeks from now. Or yesterday. I’m so confused.