IndyCar champion Alex Palou has made a striking statement about CEO Zak Brown in his ongoing lawsuit with McLaren. The Spaniard is accused of contract breach; after the Brits contracted Oscar Piastri, Palou dissolved his own collaboration. In his testimony, Palou stated that Brown originally did not want to commit to Piastri. The statements follow many rumors that Lando Norris is receiving preferential treatment within McLaren.
Palou’s statements are part of a witness statement filed with the British High Court. The Spaniard is accused of contract breach after he withdrew from an IndyCar deal with McLaren. The team is now reportedly demanding damages of over twenty million dollars. Palou claims that he was initially promised a Formula 1 seat, but that his chances of a switch to the premier class evaporated with the arrival of Piastri.
Palou claimed that Zak Brown had told him that then team boss Andreas Seidl was responsible for contracting Piastri. The arrival of the Australian should not have affected his own chances at McLaren – in the long term, a Formula 1 seat was still promised to him. “Zak (Brown, ed.) told me that it was not his decision to hire Piastri,” Palou stated. “He said that Piastri’s performances would be compared to mine, but that my chances of a Formula 1 seat would not be endangered by this.”
Criticism of Zak Brown
Zak Brown vehemently denies these allegations. “McLaren did not string Palou along,” the American emphasized in his own testimony. According to Brown, Palou was never promised a Formula 1 seat and was only to be part of the reserve structure; if one of the regular drivers were to drop out, then Palou could step in. In an extreme scenario – if Piastri did not meet expectations – Palou might have been considered for promotion, Brown suggested.
Yet, Brown, particularly in the Australian press, is under heavy fire. Palou’s statements stir up additional controversy, especially as McLaren has been accused in recent weeks – jokingly or not – of favoring Lando Norris. For instance, Piastri was asked to give up his position during the Italian GP after a slow pit stop by Norris. During the recent Singapore GP, Norris overtook his teammate in the opening round, which Piastri found a bit too aggressive. The Australian asked the team to intervene, but his request was ignored.
