Court rules in McLaren’s favour vs Alex Palou

Four time IndyCar Champion Álex Palou has been ordered to pay $12m in damages to McLaren after a lengthy court battle.

McLaren had agreed a deal with the Spanish driver to sign with the Arrow McLaren team from Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) back in 2022 to race for the team from 2023 with a view to racing in F1 but when McLaren signed Oscar Piastri to their F1 lineup, Palou walked away from the contract and stayed with CGR.

Palou felt as though Piastri’s signing blocked his route, despite having tested with McLaren and appearing in an FP1 session at the 2022 US Grand Prix and a further test in Hungary.

📸 Palou with McLaren.

McLaren’s successful claim that Palou breached his contract sees them awarded over half of what they were claiming for and the team confirmed they are still seeking further compensation for their legal fees.

The court case got particularly messy at stages, with Palou alleging Zak Brown had not wanted to sign Piastri saying “Zak told me it was not his decision to hire Oscar. He said it was the decision of the (former) team manager, Andreas Seidl”. Palou stated he was “upset and angry” not to have been given a chance.

Since the breakdown, Palou has gone on to win three IndyCar Series titles in three consecutive seasons and the Indy 500 last season with CGR.

Palou is able to appeal the decision.

📸 Image credits: Formula Motorsport Limited, Sky Sports.