The lawsuit between McLaren and Alex Palou continues! The British racing team sued the four-time IndyCar champion for breach of contract; Palou terminated his IndyCar deal with McLaren, as he saw no future in Formula 1 due to the arrival of Oscar Piastri. On Thursday, Palou testified that McLaren CEO Zak Brown later obstructed a possible transfer to Red Bull’s sister team, currently known as Racing Bulls.
In his statement, Palou explained that his collaboration with McLaren ended when Piastri was signed. According to him, Zak Brown had promised him a seat in Formula 1, but the Australian’s promotion to the premier class blocked his path. The Spaniard stayed with Chip Ganassi Racing and has since won four titles in IndyCar. McLaren is now suing Palou for breach of contract and is reportedly demanding over 20 million dollars in lost revenue and incurred costs.
Contact with AlphaTauri
Palou testified that he could have also progressed to Formula 1 through AlphaTauri – currently known as Racing Bulls. He stated that Red Bull’s sister team was looking for a new driver in 2023, presumably due to the disappointing results of Nyck de Vries. However, Palou accuses Zak Brown of having thwarted this transfer.
“My name was also mentioned at AlphaTauri,” said Palou. “In June 2023, I spoke on the phone with Helmut Marko, who was open to my arrival and asked about the conditions at McLaren. Zak Brown then called Marko himself, after which Marko said that there was suddenly no interest anymore. I don’t know what happened in that conversation, but it certainly didn’t help.” The court will further investigate these statements. The verdict in the case is expected to be delivered in November.
