Racer says he has 'no intention of honouring contract' amid 2024 F1 seat talks
Alex Palou has told McLaren that he has "no intention" of racing for the team's IndyCar outfit next year.
The Spanish racer, a contender to win his second title in three years in the US championship, was due to join McLaren for 2024. That came after he already tried to leave current team Chip Ganassi Racing last year, before agreeing to spend one more year before making the switch.
But it seems Palou, who is also a reserve driver for McLaren's Formula 1 team, has had another change of heart. As reported by the Associated Press, he has already informed the team of his decision not to race in IndyCar for McLaren next year.
A letter sent to Arrow McLaren employees by chief executive Zak Brown reportedly states that the Spaniard "has no intention of honouring his contract" with the team, which is due to be in effect from the 2024 season and beyond.
Brown wrote to staff: "This is incredibly disappointing considering the commitment he has made to us both directly and publicly and our significant investment in him based on that commitment.
Sebastian Vettel warns of looming F1 ban and is "very worried about the future"
"We dedicated a lot of time, money and resources preparing to welcome Alex into our team because we believed in him and were looking forward to IndyCar wins with him. Coming out of his team dispute last fall, we were assured by Alex of his commitment to Arrow McLaren reflected in the contract he entered into with us."
It comes as Palou has been heavily linked with a potential F1 switch in recent weeks. AlphaTauri and Williams are said to have held conversations "at some level" with his representatives.
Haas and Alfa Romeo are the other two teams on the F1 grid which could realistically have a driver vacancy for the 2024 season. However, neither of them is currently believed to be interested in signing Palou.
Whether or not Palou would be able to secure another seat in either IndyCar or F1 is dependent on the outcome of this dispute he now appears to have with McLaren. Before signing a deal with any other team, he will need to figure out a way to break the contract McLaren says he has with them.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
