On track and in front of the camera, Alex Palou is the most calm and collected IndyCar driver since his six-time champion teammate Scott Dixon. When it comes to negotiating a new contract, however, Palou seems to be something of an agent of chaos. Not only is he currently embroiled in a major, very public feud between current team owner Chip Ganassi and McLaren boss Zak Brown, it is his second in as many years.

The situation goes back to last Summer, when Ganassi announced that Palou was confirmed to return to their car for the 2023 season. In a situation that would be mirrored with F1 driver Oscar Piastri weeks later, Palou suggested that the announcement was put out without his permission and he had instead planned to move to McLaren for 2023. After a tense, drawn-out series of conversations, Palou continued with Ganassi for 2023 under the assumption that he would join McLaren's IndyCar program in 2024. He was also named the McLaren F1 team's reserve driver, although the hiring of the rookie Piastri and long-term employment of the young Lando Norris made any switch to that program highly unlikely any time soon.

That assumption has lasted throughout a 2023 season where Palou and Ganassi have looked almost unbeatable. Palou has a massive lead in the championship standings, the kind that makes a reconciliation between himself and Ganassi worth the potential awkward moments that come with a second straight year of public argument between his current team and his assumed next team. That pre-breakup reunion looked highly unlikely throughout the season, but the possibility suddenly emerged in the public eye when RACER's Marshall Pruett reported on Friday that Palou was once again considering staying with Ganassi.

Things escalated quickly from there.

Later that day, the AP's Jenna Fryer reported that McLaren racing executive Zak Brown had sent a letter to team employees confirming a sudden change of heart from Palou. The expected 2024 deal with McLaren is now suddenly off, leaving Brown fuming about both Palou's change of heart and McLaren's substantial investment in his career. According to Brown, the team has already sent Palou an advance on his 2024 salary in addition to "millions of dollars" invested into his Formula 1 testing program.

The drama extends to the management team that negotiated Palou's planned shock moved to McLaren in 2023, Monaco Increase Management. That group has apparently parted ways with Palou over the decision, noting in a statement that they are "bitterly disappointed to learn about Alex Palou’s decision to break an existing agreement with McLaren for 2024 and beyond."

The statement from Monaco Increase Management and letter from Brown do not actually indicate that Palou has a firm agreement with Ganassi to remain at arguably IndyCar's best team for 2024, but the implication is clear. While Palou could also be playing for an unnamed Formula 1 seat, a statement from Ganassi himself in response to Brown's letter suggests that he and Palou have reconciled at the cost of a further strained working relationship with Brown:

"Anyone that knows me knows that I don’t make a habit of commenting about contract situations. Subsequently, I have been quiet since day one of this story but now I feel I must respond. I grew up respecting the McLaren team and their success. The new management does not get my same respect."

“Alex Palou has been a part of our team and under contract since the 2021 season. It is the interference of that contract from McLaren that began this process and ironically, they are now playing the victim. Simply stated, the position of McLaren IndyCar regarding our driver is inaccurate and wrong; he remains under contract with CGR."

Whether or not that harshly-worded statement means Palou will stick with Ganassi next season, the pairing has become the most obvious from a racing perspective for months. Not only has a three-car McLaren operation has struggled to match Ganassi on pace throughout the season, Palou has specifically excelled in the team's cars and established himself as the #1 Honda driver in the entire series.

That last detail may be the key: While Ganassi cannot offer the Formula 1 testing opportunities Mclaren had been giving Palou, Honda's planned return to F1 with Aston Martin pairs the manufacturer with an F1 team whose best driver is a 42-year-old Fernando Alonso. If he retires or moves on by 2026, a Palou further entrenched with Honda over two more years of IndyCar success would be a natural choice to lead that team. That opportunity is an obvious fit, so long as Palou does not potentially sign a competing contract for a third time between now and then.