IndyCar champion arrives in court for McLaren contract trial after making Zak Brown fume | F1 | Sport
Reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou has arrived in court for his breach-of-contract trial involving McLaren Racing. Zak Brown’s organisation are seeking £22.3million ($30m) in damages from the Spanish racing star. Palou, who notched eight wins, including his first at the Indianapolis 500, en route to the 2025 IndyCar championship, signed a contract to drive for the Arrow McLaren IndyCar squad back in 2022.
The Barcelona-born racer was meant to join up with McLaren’s IndyCar operation in 2023, and continue testing Formula One machinery to prepare him for a potential opportunity there in the future. However, his current team, Chip Ganassi Racing, activated an option on his existing deal to keep him with their squad for the 2023 season.
After a dispute was settled in mediation, changes were made to Palou’s McLaren terms, dictating that he would start with the team in 2024. However, after setting himself up to fight for a second IndyCar crown, his lawyers notified Brown in August of 2023 that he had no plans to honour his contract.
McLaren had signed Oscar Piastri to partner Lando Norris in their F1 operation, closing the door, at least in the short term, for Palou to make it onto the grid. The Spaniard saw Chip Ganassi Racing as his best destination for 2024 and beyond, and signed a new deal to keep him with the IndyCar giants until the end of 2026.
A few days after Palou made the decision to quit his McLaren duties, they sued him for breach of contract. The £22.3m damages cover compensation for loss of sponsor revenue, reduced manufacturer payments and the salary changes for incumbent star driver Pato O’Ward.
Speaking to Forbes after wrapping up his fourth IndyCar series crown – his third in succession – Palou was asked whether his success could have been replicated with Arrow McLaren. “Absolutely, not,” he replied.
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“The team that I have behind me at Chip Ganassi Racing, it’s incredible. The ability they have to keep on working, keep on pushing the limits, it’s insane. And I know I wouldn’t be here without the team that I have behind me.”
Looking back on the saga, he added: “It’s something that if I could go back, I would change it. But the truth is that I cannot go back and change it. So, we just need to live with it.
“And the best way to say sorry to everybody at CGR is by winning races for them and championships. So, what’s left for us? More wins, more championships. That’s what we’re chasing. We know that we’re capable of doing it, and I cannot wait.”
