With eyes for Formula 1, Palou renounced Ganassi’s claim that he would be returning to the team in 2023, deciding instead to join McLaren – providing a direct path to the F1 grid as the team’s reserve driver. But after a war of press releases and a law suit, Ganassi and Palou found common ground that kept the parties together for at least one more year.
In an exclusive interview for this month’s Motor Sport magazine, Palou recalls his own take on the situation and how it effected his performance through the 2022 campaign.
“I learnt a lot of stuff,” says Palou. “I had to deal with a lot of pressure from the media, listen to everyone giving opinions when they didn’t know the full story. It was pretty hard and the situation made it more difficult for me to deliver on the track. It was a distraction I didn’t need. Yeah, I learnt a lot. That’s why I don’t like to talk too much about my future plans.
“It’s history, we are focused on the future.”
Palou’s brilliant 2021 performance made him a sought-after driver – 2023 has delivered more of the same
IndyCar
Of course, being an IndyCar legend himself, team boss Chip Ganassi had seen this all before, but nevertheless wasn’t impressed by the negative attention his young star had brought to his outfit.
“These young guys come into the sport and people start spitting in their ear about why this is better than that, why they’d be better off here and there,” says 14-time IndyCar champion team owner.
“He’s just a young guy, maybe he got some bad advice. It was unfortunate, we’re all fine now, and time will tell if he can put it behind him.”
