GET A GRIP THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!

a team, contested on three different types of tracks: ovals, street and road courses.

“Everyone needs to beat Palou,” explained Will Power, the 2022 champion and 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner. “It’s a very tough challenge to beat him in the championship this year. He is so on point in every respect and not missing a thing. It’s very difficult in this series to be extremely fast, which there are a lot of guys that are, but then being able to do all the disciplines as well, plus the intricacies of fuel save, tire conservation, inand-out laps, and qualifying. It’s bloody hard to have that all nailed, an absolute team effort. He’s doing it.”

Expect

several changes in the driver line ups for the 2024 NTT IndyCar season. Many drivers are presently on their second year of a two-year contract and may be on pins and needles waiting to hear if their team is going to retain them for another season. Usually that is decided by August 1 to give the driver and team a chance to find other options while everyone is still attending races.

The breaking news last summer over social media as teams arrived in Toronto midJuly, was regarding the tug of war over Alex Palou, the 2021 season champion, as to whether he would remain with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2023 or move to Arrow McLaren. McLaren offered Palou a seat in IndyCar and a potential chance at competing in Formula 1. But it seemed his management team had not understood contractually what an option for an additional season meant. Initially, there were dueling press releases less than an hour apart that Palou would be driving for each team, first from Ganassi and then from McLaren. Palou tweeted he was switching to McLaren (IndyCar), which spread like a wildfire through the paddock. It was finally determined after the 2022 season ended, following a law suit by Ganassi in US Federal Court (resolved through media- tion), that Palou would remain at Ganassi for one more season before switching.

Yet, he is currently free to participate in nonconflicting races or tests with McLaren’s Formula 1 team.

During this very awkward time last season, Palou was no longer allowed to share his teammates’ data. And that restriction likely impacted his remaining eight races and quest for a second title. He ranked fifth with only one victory. But this year, it has been business as usual at his Ganassi home. His crew has been firing on all cylinders with Palou winning his fourth event at Mid-Ohio in only five races and leading the title fight by 110 points at the halfway point. He won the pole at Indy, the fastest of 34 drivers, and had the potential to win the race had another driver not hit his car while in his pit box. As a result, Palou fell to 28th on Lap 98, put his head down, and recovered to fourth place.

I understand the allure of Formula 1, but there are no guarantees that a seat will open at McLaren, and McLaren has also involved Pato O’Ward and Colton Herta, all who have tested with the Formula 1 team.

When everything is working so well why would a driver want to leave? It’s truly rare to have that kind of consistent performance with

In May, there were whispers that Palou may remain at Ganassi next season, that is if he continues in IndyCar. Asked if he was really going to take the risk moving to McLaren, a team also capable of winning IndyCar races, he graciously said, “No comment. But it will be known soon, perhaps announced by the end of the season.”

Timing is everything though. And if Palou does leave Ganassi, there will be a number of drivers vying for that seat. And each team, Ganassi and McLaren, are already considering their plan B, perhaps unable to wait for Palou’s decision.

If rumours are to be believed, Team Penske may be the only team with the same driver line-up for 2024. Ganassi may have three openings, Andretti two, Carpenter, Coyne, Foyt, Juncos, McLaren, Rahal and Shank one or two openings each. With two thirds of the field potentially changing, this could turn into quite the ‘silly season.’

Winning is addictive. It’s the best feeling for a race car driver much like a drug and beating your fellow competitors in IndyCar with such tight competition makes landing in Victory Lane all the sweeter. Three times IndyCar has had 11 different winners in recent years. In contrast, it’s easy to predict who will win any given Formula 1 race.

Palou has a big decision ahead. I’d like to see him get his shot in Formula 1 and not be limited to McLaren. Should that happen, when he’s ready to win races again, he could return to IndyCar where I believe he’ll have several opportunities. IT