Alex Palou says he no longer has remote access to Chip Ganassi Racing’s data

NEWTON, Iowa – Alex Palou maintains nothing has changed in his commitment to Chip Ganassi Racing, but there is a twist in his working relationship with the team.

Palou revealed Friday before NTT IndyCar Series practice at Iowa Speedway that he no longer has remote access to engineering and setup data. The No. 10 Dallara-Honda driver said he still can look at the information at the track (but presumably with team supervision that would preclude saving the information).

The arrangement changed immediately after Palou’s contract imbroglio began July 12 when Ganassi and McLaren Racing both claimed to have deals with the 2021 IndyCar champion for the 2023 season.

“I don’t have the access I had before to the data and all that stuff from home,” Palou said. “When I’m here, I have it. Not from home like the same I had before. Which I understand. It’s normal. I think I’d do the same if it was my team. It changed, but I understand it. It’s not that I’m out of meetings and stuff like that.”

It’s common in all forms of motorsports for teams to restrict manufacturer and team information from drivers in a lame-duck season.

After Tyler Reddick signed for the 2024 season in a 23XI Racing Toyota, 23XI team owner Denny Hamlin disclosed that Richard Childress Racing and Chevrolet would have parameters on the limited contact Reddick would be allowed with 23XI before officially joining the team. If they’ve been eliminated from playoff contention, it’s common for NASCAR Cup Series drivers often are excluded from debriefs in the closing months of a season if they are headed elsewhere the following year.

Palou indicated his working relationship with Ganassi hasn’t been so affected, though he said last year’s race weekend at Toronto was