NEWTON, Iowa — IndyCar champion Alex Palou insisted Friday he wasn’t mendacity final month when he informed The Related Press he was glad driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, wasn’t speaking to another groups, and was set to return to the No. 10 subsequent season.

Properly, one thing dramatically modified within the 4 weeks since Palou tried to take away his identify from the rumor mill of drivers headed to Arrow McLaren SP subsequent season.

Now each Ganassi and McLaren Racing consider they’ve the 25-year-old Spaniard beneath contract for subsequent season in a struggle more likely to be determined by legal professionals. Chip Ganassi final week mentioned he picked up the unique choice he held on Palou, whereas McLaren head Zak Brown mentioned he is signed Palou to drive for him.

Palou informed AP on Friday at Iowa Speedway that his feedback made June 3 in Detroit “is just not a lie” and he stays content material at Ganassi.

“I am tremendous glad within the 10 automotive,” Palou mentioned.

So then why does he wish to drive for McLaren?

“Alternatives. The long run,” Palou mentioned. “I agree with you that I’d by no means have mentioned being a champion and being a part of Chip Ganassi Racing, I’d ever think about one thing (else).”

And now Palou, who’s in simply his third season of IndyCar and second season driving for Ganassi, is doing his greatest to deal with ending this season. He heads into the Saturday and Sunday doubleheader at Iowa ranked third within the standings and solely 37 factors out of the lead in his pursuit of a second consecutive title.

However he is embroiled in a weird state of affairs not seen fairly often in IndyCar with all his opponents ready and watching in anticipation to see how Palou’s contract predicament will get settled. McLaren has given no indication it’s going to pay to purchase Palou out of his contract with Ganassi as a result of McLaren signed him beneath the idea he was a transparent free agent.

If Ganassi requires cost to launch Palou, the money must come from Palou’s aspect.

However the state of affairs is a lot extra sophisticated than that: Scott Dixon, his teammate and the six-time IndyCar champion, has been overtly essential of Palou’s dealing with of his state of affairs and informed AP he did not communicate to Palou all weekend in Toronto.

Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson mentioned he despatched Palou a textual content forward of Toronto, however has in any other case been avoiding his IndyCar teammate to remain faraway from the drama and pressure. Solely Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson mentioned issues have been established order between him and Palou, and each Palou and Ganassi have acknowledged they’ve but to talk to one another regardless of sitting in engineering conferences collectively final weekend.

And, Palou mentioned Friday that whereas his communication with the No. 10 crew stays regular, he is been denied entry to crew information whereas at his house.

“I haven’t got the entry I had earlier than to the information and all that stuff from house,” he mentioned. “Once I’m right here, I’ve it. Not from house like the identical I had earlier than. Which I perceive. It is regular. I feel I might do the identical if it was my crew. It modified. However I perceive it. It isn’t that I am out of conferences and stuff like that.”

The decision of Palou’s contract will set off a domino impact that’s presently holding different drivers in limbo. Felix Rosenqvist, for instance, does not know if he’ll return to McLaren subsequent 12 months in IndyCar or be shifted to Method E to make room for Palou.

Rinus VeeKay, in a contract 12 months at Ed Carpenter Racing, does not know if the No. 10 may be open subsequent 12 months. He mentioned Friday he is in discussions on an extension with Carpenter, however has no thought what different seats may open for subsequent 12 months.

VeeKay was in North Carolina final Tuesday on the Chevrolet simulator when he noticed on social media that Palou’s choice had been prolonged. By the point he checked his telephone once more when he returned house to Florida, Palou had issued a collection of tweets refuting his return to Ganassi and McLaren had introduced it had signed the motive force.

“My complete Uber journey house, my mouth was simply hanging open studying my telephone,” VeeKay mentioned. “Each driver is studying each article attempting to study extra as a result of it is positively not your ordinary state of affairs. I’d secretly need to say that is an amusing time.”

So what occurs subsequent?

“To be trustworthy, like no mendacity, I don’t know,” Palou informed AP. “I’ll deal with racing as a result of it is lots of noise, and an excessive amount of. I do not like noise, I do not like this type of stuff. So as a substitute of of attempting to know what is going on on, I’ll attempt to do every little thing completely on observe and the remainder, my (administration) goes to kind it out.”

However as everybody waits to see the place Palou drives subsequent 12 months — and the McLaren Method One crew is just not out of the query — Palou mentioned “yeah” he is aware of the place he can be in 2022.

And the place is that? “I am not going to say what I feel. OK? No remark,” he mentioned.