Palou: McLaren signing Piastri ‘angered' me, ended my F1 dream

In a courtroom more accustomed to corporate disputes than shattered sporting dreams, IndyCar champion Alex Palou laid bare his frustration and sense of betrayal, revealing how McLaren’s unexpected signing of rookie Oscar Piastri in 2022 crushed his ambitions of racing in Formula 1.

The Spaniard’s witness statement to the High Court, part of a $20.7 million lawsuit filed by McLaren against Palou and his management for breaching an IndyCar contract, paints a picture of a driver caught in a web of promises, rivalries, and corporate maneuvering.

In his sworn statement, Palou recalled the September 2022 social media post that confirmed McLaren had signed Piastri to partner Lando Norris for the 2023 F1 season.

“I was very upset, worried and angry that McLaren had signed another rookie driver other than me,” he said.

Panicked by the apparent end to his F1 hopes, Palou contacted his representatives at Monaco Increase Management (MIM), urging them to seek clarity from McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown.

“I asked MIM to speak to Zak to ask what was going on. On September 22 they had a conversation with Zak, and Zak had told them they needed someone who would be quick in 2023 […] but that this would not interfere with my chances to get into F1.”

But for Palou, the damage was already done.

The Allure of Formula 1

The Spaniard explained that from the very beginning, McLaren’s F1 pathway had been the sole reason for his involvement. His early talks with McLaren, he said, were handled through Daniele Audetto, a long-time motorsport executive who was advising him at the time.

“At the end of 2021, I understand based on conversations with Daniele and also emails with Zak he showed me, that McLaren approached him for information about whether I would drive for them in IndyCar,” Palou stated.

McLaren, however, disputes that the discussions were initiated by them – a point that underscores the tension at the heart of this legal saga.

“I instructed MIM to tell McLaren I would only be interested in driving for McLaren in F1. In Oct/Nov 2021, Daniele told me he had that conversation with Zak,” Palou continued.

“The only attraction was to go to F1. My ambition was because it is the biggest single-seater series in the world.

“When testing with McLaren […] Zak told me he believed we could make it happen and that he would give me all the preparation I needed to get to F1,” Palou said. “At the time I thought he was genuine.”

But skepticism took root once Piastri entered the picture.

Dinner at Beaverbrook

Palou’s doubts came to a head in October 2022, when he met Brown for dinner at the Beaverbrook Hotel, a short drive from McLaren’s Woking headquarters.

“I went for dinner with Zak at Beaverbook near MTC,” Palou stated. “Zak told me it was not his decision to hire Oscar. He said it was the decision of the team manager Andreas Seidl.

“Zak told me Piastri’s performance would be evaluated against mine for 2024. Zak said that, from his point of view my chance of getting the F1 seat was not affected by Oscar.

“However, I knew everything had changed. From that point on, I started to be more willing to stay with CGR in the future.”

That shift – from McLaren hopeful to Ganassi loyalist – would ultimately ignite one of the most high-profile contractual disputes in modern motorsport.

A Door Closes, Another Slams Shut

With McLaren’s F1 door seemingly closed, Palou explored other avenues. Whispers of interest from AlphaTauri offered a glimmer of hope.

“There had been some rumours in the media about AlphaTauri looking for a F1 driver and my name was in the mix,” Palou said.

“In June 2023 I contacted and had a conversation over the phone with Helmut Marko. Helmut was open to me driving for them, and asked for the conditions of my McLaren release.”

But this flicker of opportunity was swiftly extinguished. Against Palou’s wishes, his representative informed Brown of Marko’s interest.

“Zak had directly called Helmut, and apparently Helmut had told Zak he was not interested anymore,” Palou revealed.

“I don’t know what happened in that conversation, but for sure it didn’t help because suddenly Helmut was not interested anymore…”

McLaren’s Rebuttal

Brown, for his part, has firmly denied making any promises about a Formula 1 seat.

“I told him what the opportunities would be in F1,” Brown testified earlier in the week. “I never told him he would be under consideration.”

• Read also: Courtroom sparks fly as Brown denies ‘stringing along’ Palou

He maintains that Palou’s abrupt exit plunged McLaren’s IndyCar operation into “crisis mode,” forcing the team to renegotiate sponsorships and driver deals at reduced value.

What began as a young driver’s dream to join Formula 1’s elite has now evolved into a multimillion-dollar courtroom confrontation – and, as Palou himself concedes, a bitter reckoning with how quickly those dreams can vanish once “everything had changed.”

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