INDIANAPOLIS – Alex Palou had just wrapped up a drive at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that put a second career IndyCar title within his grasp, but that championship was far from the topic of conversation on pit lane.

Palou will not honor his contract with McLaren Racing in 2024, so claims McLaren CEO Zak Brown. The current points leader had little to add to the discussion.

“I’m not gonna comment on next year,” Palou told FOX59 after finishing seventh in the Gallagher Grand Prix.

Quite unlike Brown.

“This is incredibly disappointing considering the commitment he has made to us both directly and publicly and our significant investment in him based on that commitment,” the McLaren boss wrote in an internal memo obtained by the Associated Press.

Palou wasn’t taking the bait to respond.

“(I’ll) say everything once the season is done,” said the driver of the No. 10 car for Chip Ganassi Racing. “We’re focusing on trying to win this championship now.”

Brown told FOX59 in a statement, “I’m extremely disappointed that Alex Palou does not intend to honor his contractual obligations to race with us in Indycar in 2024 and beyond. That’s all I have to say on the topic for the time being.”