McLaren CEO Zak Brown denied Alex Palou’s assertion that he had minimal influence over the team’s decision to sign Oscar Piastri for the 2023 F1 season. This claim was made during McLaren’s legal proceedings against Palou.
McLaren is seeking over $20 million in damages for lost profit after Palou unexpectedly backed out of an agreement to join McLaren’s IndyCar team. The Spaniard had signed with Arrow McLaren with hopes of an opportunity in F1.
However, after McLaren decided to sign Oscar Piastri to replace the departing Daniel Ricciardo, Palou’s F1 hopes dwindled. The IndyCar Champion thus opted to stay with Chip Ganassi Racing, prompting McLaren to sue.
Testifying in the UK High Court, Palou claimed that Brown had told him that it wasn’t his decision to sign Piastri in 2022.
Palou’s ‘ludicrous’claim amuses Brown.
In an interview with Reuters, ahead of the US GP in Austin, Brown shared his amusement over Palou’s allegations.
“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.”
McLaren’s CEO went on to dismiss the claims as ‘ludicrous’, noting that everyone familiar with the sport would see ‘straight through’ Palou’s claims.
“Both allegations are clearly ludicrous, and anyone who follows our sport will see straight through them.”
Brown, whose McLaren F1 team secured its second consecutive constructors’ title at the Singapore GP two weeks ago, added:
“We have the absolute best driver pairing on the F1 grid in Oscar [Piastri] and Lando [Norris]. I could not be more thrilled with their incredible performance and their sportsmanship.”
“I’m excited for the awesome racing we’re going to see for the rest of the season,” Brown praised the performance of his drivers.
