Brown tears into Palou, calls Piastri claim ‘clearly ludicrous’

McLaren Racing boss Zak Brown has hit back sharply at IndyCar champion Alex Palou, calling “ludicrous” the Spaniard’s courtroom claim that he had no say in Oscar Piastri’s signing by the Woking-based outfit in 2022

McLaren and Palou are going head-to-head in a $20 million legal case currently unfolding in London’s High Court brought about by the Spaniard breaching his contract with the papaya squad.

Speaking ahead of this week’s U.S. Grand Prix, Brown went after Palou with all guns blazing, defending both his authority and his judgment, and rubbishing the Chip Ganassi Racing driver’s court statements.

“I’m not sure which allegation amused me more – the notion that I would not be the one making a key decision about our driver line-up, or the suggestion that I wasn’t on board with signing the hugely talented Oscar Piastri,” Brown told Reuters.

“Both allegations are clearly ludicrous – and anyone who follows our sport will see straight through them.”

Palou’s Version of Events

In his testimony last week to London’s High Court last week, Palou painted a different picture, insisting Brown told him in late 2022 that the decision to hire Piastri had been made by then-team principal Andreas Seidl.

“Zak told me that Oscar’s performance would be evaluated against mine for the 2024 seat,” Palou claimed.

The Spaniard also argued that he was justified in breaking his contract and owed the British team no compensation.

Seidl, who led McLaren from 2019 to 2022 before departing for Sauber, had long-standing links with Piastri’s manager and fellow Australian Mark Webber, adding intrigue to Palou’s assertion.

Brown, however, insists the idea he was sidelined in a major driver decision doesn’t hold water – and that both his leadership and Piastri’s talent speak for themselves.

Focus on the Driver’s Championship

Brown also told Reuters that he’d spoken to Piastri about the court comments last weekend, and the Australian “laughed at the idea” that Brown wouldn’t be deeply involved in team decisions.

“We have the absolute best driver pairing on the F1 grid in Oscar and Lando – I could not be more thrilled with their incredible performance and their sportsmanship,” Brown said.

“I’m excited for the awesome racing we’re going to see for the rest of the season.”

Read also:

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

As McLaren celebrates its second consecutive Constructors’ title and prepares for the next leg of the season, Brown’s focus appears firmly on the track – but the courtroom drama with Palou is set to continue through November.

For now, though, the McLaren boss seems to be enjoying a little irony: a driver he was supposedly “against signing” is now leading the championship.

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