IndyCar champion Alex Palou has testified that he was ‘angry and disappointed’ when he heard that McLaren had signed Oscar Piastri. The Spaniard himself signed a contract in 2022 to compete for the British racing team in IndyCar from 2024, with the prospect of a Formula 1 seat. However, Piastri’s arrival ultimately led him to stay with Chip Ganassi Racing. McLaren is now suing Palou for breach of contract. The hearing began in London in October.
Palou appeared in court this week in the ongoing case that McLaren has brought against him. The alleged breach of contract by the Spaniard, as well as McLaren’s claim for millions in damages, are at the heart of the dispute. Palou defends himself by stating that McLaren had promised him a Formula 1 seat. However, the arrival of top talent Oscar Piastri in 2023 put that promise under pressure.
“I was very disappointed, worried and angry that McLaren had attracted another rookie,” Palou stated in his testimony. “I asked MIM (Monaco Increase Management, his management agency at the time) to speak to Zak Brown to find out what was going on. On September 22, they had a conversation with Zak, in which he said that McLaren needed someone who could perform immediately in 2023.” Palou added that Brown had assured him that this would ‘not hinder’ his chances in Formula 1. Brown and McLaren vehemently deny this version of events.
‘Everything had changed’
The four-time IndyCar race winner indicated that his initial conversations with McLaren took place at the end of 2021, in which he made it clear that Formula 1 was his ultimate goal. “That was always my ambition; after all, it is the biggest racing class in the world,” he explained. However, in October 2022, Palou began to feel uncertain about his future at McLaren, referring to a dinner with Brown near the team headquarters in Woking. “Zak told me that it was not his decision to hire Piastri, but that of team boss Andreas Seidl,” said Palou. “He said that Piastri’s performances in 2024 would be compared to mine, but that my chance of a Formula 1 seat would not be further affected.”
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Brown denied in his own testimony that he had ever guaranteed a Formula 1 seat. “But I knew everything had changed,” Palou confessed. “From that moment on, I was increasingly inclined to stay with Chip Ganassi Racing.” He claimed that rumors later emerged that AlphaTauri (now Racing Bulls) was looking for a new driver. “My name was also mentioned,” said the Spaniard. “In June 2023, I spoke with Helmut Marko over the phone, who was open to my arrival and asked about the conditions at McLaren. Zak Brown then called Marko himself to say that there was no longer any interest.” The court will further investigate these statements. The verdict in the case is expected to be delivered in November.
