The lawsuit that McLaren has filed against former reserve driver Alex Palou continues. Since the start of the case, revelations about the collaboration between the Spaniard and the British team have come to light. However, this is not the only interesting information emerging from the lawsuit. Documents from the lawsuit now also reveal how much rookies pay to participate in a free practice session with the British team, and that amount quickly runs into the millions.
Last week in London, the lawsuit of McLaren against Alex Palou – IndyCar champion and former reserve driver for the British team – began. McLaren is demanding damages of approximately twenty million dollars from Palou for breach of contract. In addition to striking statements about the arrival of Oscar Piastri at the British racing stable, the documents from the case also provided interesting information about how much money rookies have to put down to drive a free practice session at McLaren.
For example, 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and WEC champion Ryo Hirakawa paid 3.5 million dollars – approximately 3 million euros – to drive the first free practice session at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2024. The Japanese car driver was also allowed to participate in two Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) events. Formula 1 teams are required to let a rookie drive during a free practice session four times a year since this year.
Palou’s Defense
In the lawsuit between McLaren and Palou, a portion of the Spanish driver’s defense revolves around the finances associated with his appearances during the TPC tests and free practice sessions. The former reserve driver was allowed to drive the first free practice for McLaren at the United States Grand Prix in 2022. McLaren now labels these as ‘wasted expenditures’. However, according to Palou’s legal team, the driver owes nothing to the British racing team.
“This expenditure was not ‘wasted’,” according to documents submitted by the defense. “McLaren got exactly what it expected: an F1 reserve driver from October 2022 to August 2023. And a chance to assess Palou’s potential in an F1 car. Such a claim is offset by the 3.5 million dollars that McLaren Racing has received or will receive for granting the opportunity to Mr. Ryo Hirakawa to take Mr. Palou’s place in the ‘Testing Previous Car’ program. And to additionally participate in a VT1 test session during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2024.”
Paying a team to drive a free practice is not new within Formula 1. McLaren CEO Zak Brown revealed during a deposition for the lawsuit that ‘even Lando Norris‘ paid to be part of the F1 team until his promotion to full-time driver in 2019.
