'Some structural damage' from wildfire near Fort Nelson, B.C., mayor confirms
More than one home has been damaged or lost due to a massive wildfire outside of the B.C. community of Fort Nelson, the mayor confirmed Wednesday.
The contractual saga surrounding IndyCar championship leader Alex Palou took another twist Friday when the head of McLaren Racing told his team the Spaniard has "no intention of honoring his contract" with the team next year.
In a letter sent to Arrow McLaren Racing employees by boss Zak Brown, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, Brown wrote that Palou had given him multiple assurances he'd be wearing papaya in 2024 and has already received an advance on his salary.
"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," Brown wrote.
The management firm that negotiated Palou's contract with McLaren last year expressed its own disappointment in Palou's latest change of mind.
"Monaco Increase Management is bitterly disappointed to learn about Alex Palou's decision to break an existing agreement with McLaren for 2024 and beyond," the firm said in a Saturday statement. "Together, we had built a relationship that we thought went beyond any contractual obligation and culminated in winning the 2021 IndyCar crown and tracing a path to F1 opportunities. Life goes on and we wish Alex all the best for his future achievements."
Palou's current IndyCar boss, Chip Ganassi, responded with a terse statement that's out of character for the longtime Chip Ganassi Racing owner.
"Anyone that knows me knows that I don't make a habit of commenting about contract situations," Ganassi said. "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."
It was public knowledge through the F1 paddock that MIM was shopping Palou to F1 teams this summer as his deal with McLaren had an out that would release Palou for an F1 seat in 2024 if he found one by July 1. At Indianapolis on Thursday, Palou told reporters he had nothing lined up in F1.
Palou started eighth at the Indianapolis road course Saturday and was involved in a first-lap pileup that also included two-time series champ Josef Newgarden, who is second in points. Both drivers were able to continue racing.
Brown said last month that Palou would join McLaren on a full-time basis as its F1 reserve driver as soon as the IndyCar season ends in September. Palou has already had several testing sessions in the McLaren F1 car.
Brown's letter to McLaren employees went out shortly after Friday's final IndyCar Series on-track session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Palou holds an 84-point lead over Newgarden with four races remaining this season.
Palou upended the free agent market last year when he publicly rebuked Ganassi's attempt to pick up a contract option for 2023. Palou said he instead was joining both McLaren's IndyCar program and had a Formula One contract.
Palou went public with the Ganassi dispute in a series of social media posts and wrote "as I have recently informed CGR, for personal reasons, I do not intend to continue with the team after 2022."
McLaren then immediately announced Palou's hiring with its own social media post that began: "¡Hola Alex!"
The social media posts became a bit of a joke in the racing world as drivers from other series began using Palou's wording to update their own free agent status.
Ganassi, though, wasn't laughing.
He fought the defection and the sides settled through mediation with Palou remaining in IndyCar with Ganassi this year, but testing as a reserve driver for McLaren on his off weekends. He was in full McLaren papaya-colored gear at the Miami Grand Prix in May, and Palou was wearing one of the custom Richard Mille watches designed only for McLaren F1 drivers.
Brown's letter to his team did not indicate what Palou plans to do in 2024, when he is already contractually bound to McLaren. Brown and Ganassi are bitter rivals -- Brown even paid Palou's legal fees in his fight to get out of the Ganassi deal.
Palou is currently closing in on his second IndyCar title in three years driving for Ganassi. But the 26-year-old Spaniard has long held F1 ambitions.
"We dedicated a lot of time, money and resources preparing to welcome Alex into our team because we believed in him and were looking forward to IndyCar wins with him," Brown wrote. "Coming out of his team dispute last fall, we were assured by Alex of his commitment to Arrow McLaren reflected in the contract he entered into with us."
Brown said he has been reassured by Palou multiple times since the Indianapolis 500 in May that he would be with McLaren next year. Because of those promises, Brown wrote "we have paid him a significant first payment toward his 2024 season in addition to the millions of dollars toward developing him in our Formula 1 testing program and in his reserve driver role with a potential drive in F1 in the future."
Brown wrote that McLaren expects Palou to honor his contract with the team, but will pursue 2024 driver lineup possibilities as the dispute is settled. McLaren currently fields IndyCar teams for Pato O'Ward, Felix Rosenqvist and Alexander Rossi.
"Unfortunately, it now appears our belief, commitment, investment and trust in Alex was misplaced as it is not being reciprocated," said Brown, who will confer with his IndyCar team leadership on its future plans.
The team was in discussion of adding a fourth car once Palou joined in order to keep Rosenqvist on the roster. Rosenqvist has lived in limbo the past year as his future with McLaren has rested with Palou's decisions.
More than one home has been damaged or lost due to a massive wildfire outside of the B.C. community of Fort Nelson, the mayor confirmed Wednesday.
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
An 'unrepentant' YouTuber has been ordered to pay $350,000 in damages as compensation for a 'relentless' campaign of defamation waged online against a business owner and his company, the B.C. Supreme Court has ruled.
Chief Robert Michell says relief isn't the right word to describe his reaction as the search begins for unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school he attended in northern British Columbia.
While it's unclear what these closures might mean for the 27 restaurants in Canada, Red Lobster is expected to file for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. this month.
A man from B.C.'s Lower Mainland has been sentenced to four years behind bars after shooting a sex worker in the back during a drug-fuelled 43rd birthday.
Nearly six dozen dogs were seized from a home Wednesday morning by the Winnipeg Humane Society. It is the largest known seizure of animals in the city’s history.
Of the $40-million Aiden Pleterski was handed over two years, documents show he invested just over one per cent and instead spent $15.9 million on "his personal lifestyle." The 25-year-old Oshawa, Ont. man was arrested and charged with fraud and money laundering on Tuesday.
A man with a long record of dangerous driving told investigators he smoked marijuana oil and took prescription drugs hours before he sideswiped a bus, killing eight Mexican farmworkers and injuring dozens more, according to an arrest report unsealed Wednesday.
When Adam Kirschner wrote 'Slap Shot,' he never imagined the song would be embraced by his favourite team.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.